The Devouring Genius of a Destroyed World

While heading towards Seogang-dong, Seongho shared some information with Im Chan.

*‘When we went to the cannibal camp before, I was too decisive on my own.’*

This time, Seongho made sure to explain not only their current destination, but also the survivors waiting there and what he intended to accomplish once they arrived. He was meticulous, making sure to convey everything carefully.

"New humans... are you saying there are really people with that ideology?"

Once Seongho finished speaking, Im Chan's face grew serious.

It was clear that he wanted to ask why they were deliberately heading towards a place filled with such people.

However, the question that actually left Im Chan’s mouth was a bit different.

"S-So, what are you going to do this time?"

Seongho turned around to gauge Im Chan’s intentions.

Im Chan swallowed hard and added an explanation.

"When you knew about the cannibal camp, you already had a plan, right? You knew that the awakened one controlling the people was weak to fire."

So, he was asking if Seongho had something in mind again, and if he had a way to resolve the situation.

Seongho understood what Im Chan was asking and dug into his pocket, pulling out the ability extraction sphere.

Im Chan tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the sphere.

"Wait... it’s gray? Wasn’t the virus sphere supposed to be black?"

"What’s inside is not a virus, but an ability."

"An ability, you say?"

"Yes, just think of it as another strange thing for today."

Im Chan was so stunned that he seemed speechless, his mouth hanging open.

"S-So, what’s inside…?"

"Yes, it’s the ability you’re thinking of."

Though it could only be used once and had limited activation time, the ability to steal someone else’s power was undoubtedly surprising.

"There are many awakened individuals at the New Humanity camp. The two of us alone won’t be able to handle them."

That’s why Seongho planned to control some of them with the puppet ability, making them fight each other and disrupting the camp’s core power.

*‘Of course, there are a few things that bother me.’*

Seongho fiddled with a note in his pocket as he finished explaining.

Im Chan let out a small exclamation.

"Wait, did you stop by Myeongdong earlier...?"

"Back then, I thought that was the best option. It’s not all that different now."

"Who are you planning to control...?"

"I’m still thinking about it. There might be a big difference in their individual abilities, and the internal atmosphere and relationships between the awakened ones are important too."

"To think you would have the idea of making them fight each other with your puppet ability… Seongho, you really aren’t an ordinary person. How do you even come up with such ideas... Ah! I didn’t mean to pry!"

His comment wasn’t meant to boast, and he suddenly became embarrassed.

Instead of continuing the awkward conversation, Seongho lightly wrapped up the situation.

"Anyway, just know that I’m planning to infiltrate that camp."

Since they would reveal themselves as awakened individuals, there was no need to worry about discrimination, but if Im Chan felt uncomfortable, Seongho would enter alone, so he could speak up freely.

Upon hearing this, Im Chan quickly shook his head.

"No! I’ll go with you."

Im Chan’s attitude had changed compared to before—he was more proactive and supportive.

Seongho didn’t mind this change at all. It was a good one.

By the time their conversation ended, the sign for the Chungjeongno Station appeared in the distance.

Seongho checked the rusty subway entrance sign and immediately turned the corner.

This time, he had already confirmed the precise location of the New Humanity camp, so they just needed to head straight there.

However, the closer they got, the more a strange sense of discomfort gnawed at Seongho’s nerves.

*‘Something’s off.’*

By now, they should be entering the influence zone of the New Humanity camp.

Yet, the area was strangely empty.

They hadn’t even encountered ten zombies so far.

*‘They usually leave zombies around the camp on purpose.’*

The presence of zombies made it easier for non-immune survivors to be controlled.

For the survivors, there was no point in venturing out; they would simply be bitten to death. Even if they were tormented by the awakened ones, they wouldn’t dare run away.

But why was it so clean here?

Could it be that the New Humanity camp hadn’t figured out how to use zombies yet?

*‘Since the New Humanity group doesn’t appear until much later in the original story, things might not be exactly the same…’*

As Seongho took in the unsettling scene and quickened his pace, suddenly, a loud crash sounded from three blocks away at an intersection.

*Boom!*

A car flew through the air, accompanied by a deafening roar.

In response, the zombie cries echoed from all directions, but strangely, none of them were running toward the commotion.

Instead, the sounds seemed to fade away.

Zombies that reacted so sharply to noise usually only ran away from it in one situation.

*‘When there’s an evolved creature nearby.’*

Realizing the danger, Seongho shoved Im Chan and his daughter into the nearest alley.

At the same time, he drew his dagger, ready for combat.

*Boom! Boom!*

The deafening sounds continued, getting closer and closer.

A moment later, a shadow appeared beyond a building at the corner of the intersection.

Seongho carefully peered around the corner, squinting his left eye to assess the situation.

He wanted to identify what kind of creature it was and find its weak point.

Thud, thud, thud.

The heavy footsteps gave Seongho a rough estimate of the creature’s weight.

As he held his breath and watched the situation unfold, his eyes widened in realization.

*‘That’s...’*

Around the corner emerged a massive evolved creature, its body covered in something like bark.

It looked like it had been through a fight, with cracks on its armored body.

With each step, parts of its armor fell off.

But Seongho wasn’t looking at its body—his focus was entirely on its hand.

*‘A person?’*

The evolved creature was dragging a human by the hand.

"…Noona! Wait for me, I’ll be right there!"

"Kyuhyun, don’t come! Run away!"

Seongho’s attention snapped to the woman, who was spewing water as an awakened individual, controlling the liquid.

*‘An awakened one here...?’*

None of the awakened ones Seongho had encountered at the New Humanity camp had the ability to control water.

The name "Kyuhyun," which the woman had shouted, wasn’t even listed among the New Humanity members.

As Seongho strained to figure out what was happening, the evolved creature stopped in its tracks and looked back at the woman.

In that moment, a memory from last night’s guard duty came back to him—the second fortune cookie’s prophecy.

**<The number for victory is 5 to 12.>**

The strange numbers echoed in his mind, and Seongho instinctively moved.

* * *

The mysterious monster that appeared at the hideout where Seo Min-hee was staying was a recent occurrence, happening just before dawn.

It was such a sudden event that no one had been able to respond properly.

Amidst the chaos, three people at the hideout were eaten in an instant.

Seo Min-hee had prepared to die, luring the monster away to distract it.

When the night’s terror seemed to end, she thought she was safe.

"Why is it back again?!"

As soon as dawn arrived, the same monster returned.

*‘I can’t just sit by while people get eaten again!’*

She had prepared an emergency exit at the back of the building in case the monster returned.

She had to buy time until the others could escape.

"Dammit! Look over here!"

Water shot out from Seo Min-hee’s outstretched hand.

*Splat!*

The water hit the monster’s back.

But instead of looking back at Seo Min-hee, the creature turned toward the entrance of the hideout.

Seo Min-hee, growing more anxious, moved closer to the monster than the previous day.

A momentary mistake had disastrous consequences.

Before she could react, a massive hand slapped Seo Min-hee, sending her flying like a paper sheet.

"Ugh!"

She collided with a nearby car, spitting blood.

Her consciousness faded as she crashed to the ground.

Fortunately, Seo Min-hee lost consciousness only for a brief moment.

"Ugh..."

As her vision slowly returned, she saw the monster emerging from the hideout, swinging its arms wildly.

*Crash, boom!*

A car that had been overturned on the side of the road was thrown through the air, making a loud noise.

The car’s tires screeched as it rolled across the street.

The monster approached Seo Min-hee, snorting.

Suddenly, water began to form droplets in the air, suspended in front of the monster’s face.

Soon, the water coalesced into a sphere, and a familiar face appeared inside the orb.

"Min-hee noona! Hang in there!"

The voice calling her name rang through her head.

"We’ve gotten out! You need to escape now too!"

That reassuring message filled Seo Min-hee with energy.

She immediately tried to move her body and escape.

"Ahh!"

But the monster was faster. It grabbed her leg with

 its monstrous hand.

Crack, crunch.

A sickening sound came from her leg, and she lost all feeling in her left leg.

Her body was numb all over.

Before she could scream, her consciousness grew faint.

Dragged by the monster, Seo Min-hee suddenly heard the voice again.

"Min-hee noona! Wait a bit! I’m coming!"

The moment Seo Min-hee regained her senses, she urgently shouted.

"Kyuhyun, don't come! Run away!"

At the same time, she reached out her hand, using her ability without hesitation.

Whoosh!

A massive stream of water erupted from her hand, striking the monster’s head like a fire hose.

The pressure was so powerful that even the strongest human or zombie would lose their balance and fall.

But the monster only stopped in its tracks and looked back, as if unaffected by the blow.

When Seo Min-hee’s eyes met the monster’s dark, unblinking gaze, her instincts screamed at her.

‘I’m going to die.’

That feeling was proven to be true as she felt her body lift off the ground.

The monster, still holding onto Seo Min-hee’s leg, raised its arm high, preparing to crush her.

"Min-hee noona!"

In a panic, Seo Min-hee screamed as she flailed her arms, feeling the ground slip away from her.

Water sprayed in every direction as she tried to unleash more of her power.

And in the chaos, something shiny darted toward her.

Thud.

Gwoooargh!

Seo Min-hee’s body, rapidly falling, suddenly floated back up again, her descent halted abruptly.

"Ahhh!"

She plummeted to the ground once more, unable to overcome gravity, but this time the fall felt much lighter compared to the first.

Despite her body trembling, she gathered all her remaining strength and started crawling along the asphalt road.

With terrified eyes, she quickly scanned her surroundings.

Seo Min-hee quickly noticed something strange in her surroundings.

Gwoah, gwoooargh!

The monster, struggling in pain, had something lodged in its eye.

However, before she could even examine what it was, the creature yanked the object from its eye.

Clink.

The sound echoed clearly as a seemingly ordinary military dagger fell to the ground.

After pulling out the blade, the monster stomped the ground in anger.

Boom!

The earth trembled with the terrifying roar that filled the air.

The monster’s black eyes, now even more vicious, locked onto Seo Min-hee.

The overwhelming intensity she felt for the first time in her life made her body begin to tremble uncontrollably.

“I-I didn’t do it…”

Before Seo Min-hee could finish her instinctive words, the monster raised its arm high.

Was she going to be flattened like clay?

Seo Min-hee saw the massive hand descending toward her head, and instinctively curled up, closing her eyes tightly.

At the same time, immense strength gripped her, pulling her upward.

As her head tilted downward, she reflexively opened her eyes, only to see an unfamiliar back.

Before Seo Min-hee could fully comprehend the situation, her body was tossed to the ground once more.

"Ahh!"

"Your life will be paid back later, so just stay quiet for now."

The man who suddenly appeared and threw Seo Min-hee to the side landed hard on the ground.