Even the suicide prevention messages suggested as much, but Hannam Bridge was a peculiar place in many ways.
Few Mimics rushed at them, and the twisted space was minimal as well.
Compared to the time at Gangnam Love Obstetrics and Gynecology, it was practically a stroll in the park.
Hannam Bridge was slightly less than 1km long, so even at worst, they could cross in under thirty minutes.
Of course, that was contingent on nothing going wrong, as was the case now.
‘I can’t let my guard down just because there are few immediate threats.’
There were at least two unidentified species inhabiting Hannam Bridge.
If one was the thing that had driven the Owl Bear elder mad, then that left one more.
‘The Predator that devours Mimics.’
In truth, that bastard was the closest thing to the reason we could travel so comfortably.
Thanks to the Predator, most Mimics had been cleared out, and the majority of survivors were hiding inside cars,
‘which is a good thing for me.’
I’m specialized in fighting single targets rather than group battles, after all.
It was a hundred, a thousand times better than endless Mimics surging at me.
We walked for a good while like that, without any enemies rushing us.
“Hold.”
The Owl Bear elder, walking at the front, raised his hand.
Min-aji’s sense of smell had been half-paralyzed by the fishy stench pervading the area, so the Owl Bear elder took charge of reconnaissance.
“What’s the matter?”
“…Do you see the pink SUV up ahead?”
A vehicle with an intensely vivid pink color, roughly 70 meters away.
It was something I had been keeping an eye on since I first spotted it.
“Inside it, there are at least ten Mimics.”
That vehicle alone was far too intact compared to those around it.
Most of the vehicles here were severely damaged.
Most of them exposed their interiors so plainly that, had this place not been inside a blackout zone, they would have gotten people arrested for public indecency.
Perhaps because of that, the Mimics were packed tightly into the intact vehicles.
We had passed several similar vehicles, and they were crammed inside like Tetris blocks.
The orc uncle, who had been listening quietly, made a suggestion.
“Let’s keep our guard up but pass by. There have been Mimics jumping out of cars before now, haven’t there?”
“This is different from before. I heard the sound of the car locks opening.”
“…Damn.”
At the Owl Bear elder’s testimony, the orc uncle put his hand to his forehead.
Mimics were not mindless monsters. Having once been human, they were quite adept at using human tools.
Those things opening the locks meant little else than that they were ready to ambush at any moment.
‘…Tch.’
I wanted to avoid a fight if at all possible.
Not that supplies were a major burden, but because there was a chance of provoking other Mimics.
But oh well. If we had to fight, it couldn’t be helped.
I hadn’t expected to pass through without any incident to begin with.
Though I had hoped a little.
“Then let’s strike first. We’ll count to three and fire simultaneously.”
Grenades or my beam would inevitably damage the surrounding vehicles.
If we wanted to pinpoint only that vehicle, a rifle was ultimately the most effective means.
“Then three, two……”
One.
The word he had counted ahead in his mind ultimately failed to leave his mouth.
Kwaaang-!
With a sudden roar, something crashed down on top of the pink SUV.
‘…What? Where on earth did that fall from, and what was it?’
I was dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.
I hadn’t seen properly where or what had appeared.
And yet, it seemed already too late to check now.
Because where the pink SUV had been, thick black dust was rising in clouds.
At best, only silhouettes flickered in and out beyond the dust.
…What should I do? Should we attack first?
Its form was hidden by the dust, but that was no problem.
As long as a hazy silhouette was visible, aiming was possible.
The reason I was hesitating like this was because it wasn’t targeting us right now.
It was most likely the Predator.
According to the soldiers’ testimony, the Predator wouldn’t attack unless provoked first.
Kwang!
With another loud noise, this time came a screeching sound like metal grinding.
‘Don’t tell me it’s tearing off the roof?’
That far-fetched thought was exactly right.
Before long, a cracking sound rang out, and soon the roof of the pink SUV broke free of the dust cloud and plunged into the river.
“Kieeek!”
“Kieek!”
The Mimics’ cries rang out simultaneously.
The silhouette in the dust began dispatching the defenseless Mimics one by one.
“Kieeek!”
“Kiek!”
One, two. Each time the thing moved, one Mimic was dragged out.
Despite the fairly straightforward attacks, the Mimics couldn’t put up any significant resistance and simply collapsed.
It took a mere ten seconds or so for the Mimics, numbering nearly ten, to be completely neutralized.
While we were staring blankly at that immense might, Yu In-ha suddenly spoke.
“…Doesn’t that silhouette look bigger than before…?”
At first, I didn’t understand what she meant.
Because to me, the size looked the same.
But as I kept staring intently after what she’d said… something was indeed different.
It was growing larger. A minute change, but noticeable enough if one concentrated.
“…Should we shoot?”
Kim Ji-hu asked.
If we were going to strike first, now was the chance.
The Predator was spending more time on that growing act than when it had ambushed the Mimics.
If we missed this chance, the next opportunity wouldn’t come easily.
I hesitated for a moment… then shook my head.
Right now, the one creating this bizarre peace was none other than the Predator.
The moment that thing was subjugated, it would mean one suppressor of the other Mimics had disappeared.
“…For now, let’s watch.”
It seemed the behavior that had taken longer than the hunt was also already over.
Suddenly the Predator stopped moving. Its silhouette dropped sharply toward the ground, as if plummeting.
A heterogeneous motion, as if compressing a giant spring to its absolute limit.
“……No way.”
It was the moment the Owl Bear elder let out a short gasp.
Kwaaaang-!
With an eardrum-shattering roar, the Predator’s massive form shot upward.
At the same time, the dust vanished as well.
Seeing that it disappeared along with the creature, it was most likely correct to view it as a special ability.
“…So that’s how it moves.”
The orc uncle clicked his tongue.
On the contrary, my mind was a complicated mess.
‘…Should I have just attacked earlier after all?’
Seeing that spectacle, I began to regret it for no reason.
But in the end, the decision not to attack was correct.
No matter how strong it was, it was ultimately a single entity. In terms of compatibility, dealing with it would be easier than facing a horde of Mimics.
“Don’t let your guard down.”
I spoke while keeping watch on the thick darkness above, where no light reached.
“That thing could fall on our heads again at any moment. Elder?”
“…I’ll try focusing on the sounds of its impacts.”
I nodded at those words.
This was about the extent of the countermeasures we could take.
“Still, thanks to that, the Mimic Tetris car blocking our path ahead has been neatly cleaned up, so……”
“You mean we should move quickly.”
Kim Ji-hu nodded, adjusting the newly issued grenade launcher.
“Yes. Let’s pass through as quietly and quickly as possible, without doing anything to provoke it.”
The darkness of the sky above, from which the Predator had vanished, was still ominous, but we couldn’t afford to stop.
Perhaps because the Predator had come and gone once, there were no more Mimics targeting us.
Without any hindrance, we were able to reach the spot where the pink SUV had been.
“…Seeing it up close, the damage is severe.”
The pink SUV, which had been relatively intact, was now in no different state than the other vehicles.
But what stood out more than the car was none other than the vanished Mimics.
“…Why does it attack the same monsters?”
Yu In-ha cautiously asked.
This was something I had been wondering about as well.
Those monsters basically didn’t require nutrients.
To them, killing was merely a means of reproduction, not for consumption.
Meaning there was no need to hunt the same kind of monster unless it was a special case like a breeder.
But… the scene I had witnessed moments ago bothered me.
“…Don’t you think it’s hunting and absorbing the Mimics?”
That was the only thing I could think.
The scene I had just witnessed, and its motive for attacking the Mimics. Everything pointed toward growth.
“A monster that grows stronger the longer it’s left alone. It might be better to eliminate it beforehand, before it becomes too much to handle.”
“But we can’t rashly attack it either. We can’t say we can hunt it without any harm, and what comes after is also a problem. The Mimics that had been suppressed by it will resume their activity.”
The Owl Bear elder rebutted the orc uncle’s words.
‘Both of them are somewhat right.’
It was an undeniable truth that leaving it alone would make it a massive threat.
But at the same time, it was also true that it was helping us right now.
The original plan was to pass by without provoking it… but leaving it completely alone was also difficult. It would definitely become a scourge.
I looked around at my team members.
Every single one of them was waiting for me to say something.
‘…In the end, it seems they’ll go along with whatever I decide.’
I couldn’t help but let out deep sighs.
This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to take this position.
I looked at my team members, then soon opened my mouth.