This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 485

I felt really weird, to put it simply.

This was understandable since it was my first time experiencing something like this.

Up until now, the only experiences of eagerly waiting for something were either for Dogun or for a package to arrive. I never imagined I would be anxiously anticipating something as unfamiliar as heavy machinery.

Is this why people always say you never know what life has in store for you?

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

Every now and then, I noticed everyone glancing at the rift as they worked, which must have meant the same for them.

They were probably curious, knowing that heavy machinery could possibly be deployed at any moment.

Or perhaps they were just fascinated by the heavy machinery itself.

It’s quite possible, especially if those working nearby weren’t used to seeing heavy machinery up close, unless they were in that field of work.

Especially those RK Guards over there, whose main job involved protecting high-profile individuals, so they likely had fewer chances to see it.

Thinking about it, being a Hero was indeed a rather unique job.

This made sense since Heroes often encountered construction sites that heavily relied on machinery much more frequently than one would think.

In hindsight, that might even be natural.

Upon a disaster, it’s usually the Heroes who are the first on the scene.

Once they secure the area, it’s the police or firefighters who come next.

As a result, if you’ve been a Hero for a while, you inevitably get familiar with things like heavy machinery.

Thanks to this, I heard some seasoned Heroes had become as knowledgeable as professionals in that field.

Of course, I hadn’t reached that level since I only have three years of experience, but for three years, I confidently believed I understood quite a bit.

Probably because Chae-rim had a strong preference for heavy machinery.

And maybe due to that influence, Dogun quietly developed an interest in it too.

You know what they say, “You become the company you keep,” so spending time with those people inevitably taught me a lot.

Who said that again?

Ah, it’s said that after three years of a dog being taught, even it can recite poems.

In the same way, thanks to those two, I naturally became quite knowledgeable about it, which made me somewhat able to predict what might be dispatched, but still, I couldn’t help but feel curious about the Association’s choice.

That’s why I’ve been sneaking glances at the rift, just like everyone else since earlier.

It was likely the moment many eyes became fixed on the rift.

Suddenly, an unusual sound made its way into the forward base.

It was the Automatic Turrets installed along the barricades.

The alert was triggered just after that when a suspicious event began unfolding inside the forward base.

“What’s the situation?! Why did the turrets activate? Is it an airborne entity?”

“W-we’re currently assessing!”

The first airborne entity ever recorded in human history during the previous attack.

Could it be that it appeared because of speculation surrounding the cause of the monsterization phenomenon?

The person who asked the question and the one choosing their words carefully to answer had clearly visible tension on their faces.

Naturally.

Given that our operational strength is limited, if someone gets attacked by those enemies and is forced off the front lines, it wouldn’t just be a single loss, would it?

And it would be painful for anyone struck by the attack.

Perhaps everyone knew that.

Suddenly, sharp pressures began to rise from all directions.

Everyone was preparing to respond immediately, no matter what occurred… when those sent outside the barricade for reconnaissance returned.

“So what happened?”

“Based on the debris left on-site, it seems like the airborne entity the Association mentioned is indeed real.”

“Were they planning a sneak attack?”

“I’m not sure. However…”

“However…?”

I felt like someone swallowed audibly nearby, which was probably just my imagination.

Whether it was a momentary delusion or if that sound truly echoed, I struggled to read the mood as a very tense-looking woman spoke up.

“As soon as we arrived at the scene, we found a command-type entity… it threw a corpse at us and vanished.”

“It threw a corpse and just disappeared?”

“…Yes.”

The fact that it discarded a body right after our arrival was an absolutely unusual act.

Given that, for the Another Ones, humans are ‘food’ after all.

But to just toss one away? Especially right after we got there?

‘It feels like…’

It’s almost as if it were sending a warning through the body.

Or maybe it was a provocation.

What on earth were the Another Ones thinking when they acted like this?

In the past, I would’ve scoffed and laughed upon hearing such a notion.

Back then, I believed those mindless creatures couldn’t possibly have that kind of intelligence.

So I surely would have reacted that way back then, but… not anymore.

I couldn’t help it because of the stories Dogun shared with me.

Just like how a person changes over time, the Another Ones had begun to change after being stagnant for so long.

And although I might not know it in depth, they probably did their best to gather information being the first players on the field.

“Are they thinking of making some sort of provocation…?”

The team leader from the RK Guards muttered, his expression growing serious in an instant.

Of course, that expression didn’t last long.

In a situation where everything was still uncertain, he probably decided there was no need to further burden the already serious atmosphere with personal speculations.

Quickly adjusting his expression, the team leader began questioning those responsible for reconnaissance about that superior entity.

“So, what was that superior entity like? Was it typically a Bruiser type?”

“Ah, n-no… it was different.”

“Be more specific.”

Typically, Bruiser types are characterized by their incredibly thick exoskeletons, boasting massive physiques.

Of course, there are variations among individuals, but that was the general idea.

However, what the reconnaissance team mentioned seemed to halt there.

“First off… it was smaller.”

“Smaller? How small?”

“Uh… it was about our size.”

An entity with a physique hardly different from a human?

Were these beings beginning to emerge with mobility, sacrificing their typical exoskeleton?

Or perhaps that creature was just special.

What was clear was… that I’d need to be mindful of its presence at all times.

I wouldn’t know for sure until I faced it, but if its size was that small, it likely meant it could move quickly.

‘Could it be some kind of assassin type…?’

If that were the case, it’d definitely be a tricky opponent to handle.

If the Bruiser types, who have considerable size advantages, attracted attention in front while that one sneaks behind for a surprise attack, then even if you’re prepared, casualties would be unavoidable.

‘But then, where exactly did the body it threw come from?’

Could it be that a team sent for reconnaissance from another branch encountered it unexpectedly and got completely wiped out?

I was busy spinning these assumptions in my mind when the team leader seemed to grow curious about that very body.

“I think we’ve gathered enough about that special entity, so now let’s discuss the body it threw.”

As the topic shifted, the next question was about what happened to the body.

“Well… we couldn’t rule out the possibility of it being a trap, so we decided not to touch it and just observed it from a distance.”

“And?”

“Thanks to that, we couldn’t discern much, but… somehow, the face looked familiar.”

The mood in the room grew even heavier the moment those words slipped from the reconnaissance member’s lips.

“W-wait, Team Leader!”

With a voice that was alarmingly urgent, the Automatic Turrets installed along the barricades began firing in unison.