This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 630

【Yoonseo’s Perspective】

Who was it that said that?

Even stray dogs eat half their fill at home.

Is it true that a base is truly a base?

The forces dispatched to the real world up until now were merely reconnaissance teams, and yet, an overwhelming number of Another Ones began to swarm towards just one Forward Base as if to assert that.

Could it be that had a direct impact?

One of those present mumbled in a passing voice.

It really felt like watching a tsunami.

It was that enormous a number.

The terrifying part was that, unlike a single massive wave, what was rushing toward the Forward Base was a swarm formed by countless entities.

The black, wriggling things began to surge toward the Forward Base.

It looked just like a swarm of bugs popping out from under a rock.

“Ugh… I really hate bugs…”

“Seeing them all gathered like that, they do look just like B.”

“B?”

“…You know, cockroaches.”

“Ugh…”

Perhaps it was because I imagined something even more horrific than the creatures currently charging at us.

People started trembling uncontrollably here and there.

Just as if they were malfunctioning, the turrets that hadn’t moved an inch until now suddenly lifted their heads in unison and began to unleash a barrage of red fire.

Tatata-!

The sound of bullets showering down on the frantically charging enemies.

And the sound of shell casings rolling on the floor from the turrets began to resonate like a musical ensemble.

Occasionally, the screams of the Another Ones mixed in like cymbals were an bonus.

The phrase “get ground to dust” must have been made for moments like this.

The exoskeletons the Another Ones wore were renowned for being harder than most metals, having once been hailed as potential new materials, but against the downpour of 12.7mm fire raining upon them, they were utterly powerless.

The slaughterhouse controlled not by human hands but by sensors relentlessly sought enemy annihilation; if one shot was insufficient, then a second strike would follow, and if that wasn’t enough, a third and fourth would land in rapid succession on the vital points of the Another Ones.

It was mainly targeting places that could be considered critical spots for such creatures.

Was that the reason?

For the first time, the overwhelming wave of Another Ones that had been surging to black out the entire world began to be halted.

And those atop the wall made of Containers wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by.

Before the real battle commenced, the task of relieving the tension built up in their bodies seemed to have been accomplished merely through a light-hearted joke exchanged moments ago.

Those who had been silently watching the situation began to spring into action one by one.

Now, only nineteen members remained in the Expedition Team.

The one who first jumped into action was someone wearing a small leather bag at their waist.

The woman, reaching into what people commonly referred to as a hip sack, pulled out a handful of what was inside and scattered it outside the wall.

It resembled dandelion seeds blown away by the wind or clumps of cotton, and it began to spread in all directions.

‘What’s that…?’

What could it be?

From the looks of it, it seemed like bread, though it had a peculiar mold-like appearance.

In that moment of bewilderment, what fluttered and flew like a butterfly landed atop the debris outside the Forward Base.

The hand of the one who scattered it waved through the air once more.

As if the things thrown were just waiting to touch the “ground,” that hand gesture triggered greenery to sprout up here and there.

It was as if someone had grabbed the hand of a clock and turned it, with the discordant green of nature rapidly expanding in a scene that clashed entirely with the Heogye.

In the blink of an eye, the surroundings began to be dominated by thick and robust vines that had grown too large to be believed in just a few minutes, intertwining with all kinds of debris surrounding the Forward Base to form a natural barrier.

Watching that, I thought to myself that perhaps this could hold back the Another Ones, even if just for a short while.

“From here on, it’s my turn.”

The one who had created that massive barrier quickly stepped back, and another stepped forward in their place.

The air around us began to rapidly dry up.

Could that be what caused it?

Flames erupted atop the brown barrier as if it had always existed in that spot, blending seamlessly into the landscape.

Though the beginning was weak, the end would surely be grand—the start was truly meager.

The flame was so faint it seemed like a mere breath could extinguish it immediately.

Yet, it greedily consumed everything around it, rapidly expanding.

What was finally completed was… a towering wall of fire, so enormous that even from a distance, the heat could be distinctly felt.

Kieeeek—!

The shriek of a creature that suddenly found itself engulfed felt reminiscent of the prickly goosebumps crawling up the arms of those nearby.

However, the response from the Another Ones was no less impressive.

Originally, they had no choice but to forcibly break through, but thanks to the blessings from above, could it be that they learned to fly too?

The entities facing the wall of fire all took to the sky in unison.

To put it bluntly, that wasn’t the best choice.

Unlike the previous scattered situation, now, due to the suddenly emerged fire wall, their routes became constrained.

The firepower of the turrets, which had been scattered about following the lead of their sensors, began to concentrate in one direction.

What was created as a result was a kind of kill zone, and as the already sufficient firepower became focused in one direction, the enemies hurling towards it literally began to melt away.

Watching those flying upwards only to repeatedly fall back down conjured an image of moths flying into a firelight only to be incinerated.

The sight unfolding before our eyes filled our heads with that mental image, though it wasn’t different for those nearby.

Everyone shared expressions of relief, but apart from that sentiment, no one viewed the situation with optimism.

That was only natural.

After all, the ones burning alive in real-time were nothing but common entities people often associated with the term Another.

How about the relatively higher-ranked creatures, like the Bruiser class or those even above them?

They were rather observing the situation from the back rather than stepping forward.

As if they were waiting for something.

And figuring out what they were waiting for… Honestly, it wasn’t that hard.

It was rather obvious.

They must be waiting for us to retire.

If they truly ‘learned’ about the ‘humans,’ they would have already realized that talents are not limitless.

Could it be that the others also quickly reached that conclusion?

Under the expression of relief lay a silent feeling of discomfort beginning to unfold.

The problem was that, just because the enemy’s intentions were glaringly obvious, we couldn’t afford to fight leisurely.

The sheer overwhelming number charging towards us was far too great.

What if we just let them be?

We’d soon be swallowed up by the violence of numbers.

And if a chaotic melee broke out… we would ultimately be picked off one by one.

So what could we do?

If we couldn’t decide between this and that, we had no choice but to focus on what was right in front of us.

“Can you help me with something I want to try?”

The request that came from right beside me was none other than from ‘Shamsir’ who hailed from the Arab Federation in the midst of all this.

Thinking back to the first meeting when she boldly picked a fight, it must have been quite a challenge for her to speak like this.

With her overcoming even embarrassment to start this conversation, even if she lives a rather wild lifestyle, a hero truly is a hero, huh?

“What do you need…?”

“Can you make some ice? As small and sharp as possible.”

Since it was up to us to do something anyway, I calmly produced the requested ice and lifted it into the air.

Out of nowhere, grains of sand began swirling in from afar and swiftly consumed the floating ice shards one by one.

Then, they flew straight towards the Another Ones, starting to physically grind them to dust.