The smelting plant was dead silent.
Seongji stood at the entrance, phone pressed tight to his ear, his brow furrowed.
"I'm here. But Eugene… you sure about this place?"
He looked up at the iron gate in front of him. Rust had eaten through the metal long ago, and not a single flicker of light managed to leak through the gaps.
"I'm positive. I checked the location myself. You're at the right spot."
"…Alright."
The call ended.
Seongji slipped the phone into his pocket and scanned his surroundings. The abandoned factory dominated his field of vision. Half the roof had collapsed, the window glass was shattered across the floor, and weeds were crawling up the walls.
"A smelting plant…" he muttered. 'What exactly are they hiding in a place like this…'
He stepped deeper into the facility. He hadn't gone far before a strange sensation washed over him. It felt like dozens of eyes were watching him from the shadows, making the hair on his neck stand up.
Seongji stopped abruptly and whipped his head around. There was nothing behind him but the rusted remains of old machinery.
But as soon as he turned back to continue, dozens of eyes snapped open in the darkness.
He circled the plant once, searching for any sign of Jichang, Gongseob, or Taesoo. He found nothing.
"Tch. Not even a ghost in here."
Seongji pulled out his phone to try Eugene again, only to see the signal bars were completely empty.
"No signal? Just great."
He was about to tuck the phone away when he felt a wet, hot breath hit the back of his neck.
Seongji's skin crawled. He flicked on his flashlight and swung the beam around. The light cut through the dark, hitting a massive, bare torso. He tilted the beam upward and locked eyes with a pair of bloodshot, oversized pupils.
The creature's mouth hung open, saliva dripping from its teeth as a low growl vibrated in its throat.
"What the hell is this?!"
Before Seongji could react, the monster swung a fist the size of a manhole cover.
Seongji barely managed to throw up his arms in a guard.
BANG!
The heavy impact sent him flying backward. He twisted mid-air, landing firmly on his feet, his gaze instantly turning sharp.
'I've seen this thing at the Workers' 1st Affiliate. What is it doing here?'
His heart sank. 'Did Eugene sell me out? No, don't jump to conclusions yet.'
The moment he paused to think, a surge of killing intent lunged at his back.
Seongji instinctively rolled to the side.
CRACK!
The ground where he had just been standing caved in. Another monster stepped out of the dark. Then, ten more—each one just as hideous and bloodthirsty—began to surround him.
"Looks like I kicked a hornet's nest."
The monsters lunged all at once. The floorboards groaned under their collective weight.
Seongji didn't back up. He stepped into the gap between the first two.
A massive fist whistled past his ear, close enough for him to feel the wind. Seongji didn't just dodge; he grabbed the monster's wrist and drove his elbow into its inner joint.
CRACK.
The bone snapped like a dry twig. Seongji used the monster's momentum to swing its entire body into a second attacker.
Two more closed in from his flanks. They were faster than the one at the 1st Affiliate, their movements jagged and twitching. One swung a low kick aimed at his shins while the other went for a bear hug.
Seongji leaped. He planted his foot on the kicker's knee, using it as a stepping stone to launch himself upward. Mid-air, he spun and drove a heel into the face of the monster trying to grab him.
THUD.
The monster's head snapped back, its teeth spraying across the concrete. Seongji landed, instantly dropping into a low stance.
'They're sacrificing power for speed. If I let them surround me, it's over.'
He lunged forward, his fingers curling like talons. He dug his fingers directly into the gaps between their ribs and collarbones.
He seized the nearest monster by the shoulder blade. With a guttural grunt, he twisted his hips and slammed the brute into the ground.
BOOM.
The concrete floor spiderwebbed under the impact. Before the monster could even groan, Seongji's knee came down on its throat, crushing its windpipe
"Next."
The remaining monsters roared, their bloodshot eyes glowing in the dim light. They rushed him in a disorganized swarm.
Seongji moved like a shadow. He slipped under a haymaker, grabbed the attacker's hip bones, and executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw. The monster collided with two others, sent them sprawling like bowling pins.
He didn't give them time to breathe.
He stepped onto the chest of a fallen monster and launched a flurry of strikes. A jab to the throat, a palm strike to the chin, and a final, crushing kick to the temple.
'Too slow.'
The last three monsters hesitated. Their animal instincts were screaming at them to run.
Seongji didn't wait for them to decide. He blurred across the distance. He grabbed the largest one by the jaw and the back of the head. With a sharp, violent jerk, he twisted.
The sound of the neck snapping echoed through the silent plant.
He didn't even look as the body hit the floor. He spun and delivered a double-leg takedown to the final two, slamming their heads together with a sickening wet thud.
Seongji stood up, his breathing steady. He wiped a smudge of blood from his cheek.
"Is that all?"
The silence returned, heavier than before.
Then, the lights flickered on.
CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.
The sound of leather shoes on concrete drifted from the far end of the hall.
Seongji turned, staring at the silhouette emerging from the shadows.
"Finally decided to show your faces?"