CHAPTER 76: WHAT LIES IN THE COCOONS

Acting like he was possessed, Min-ho went around slicing open all the cocoons. Though there were over three dozen of them, he kept at it nonstop.

He sliced one open, staring at what would come out. Only for his stomach to rile up.

A pile of blood, and guts.

Fingers, hair attached to a scalp and several pieces of teeth along with an eye poured out.

Min-ho reeled backwards, stumbling over Z-Eyes till he fell on a cocoon.

He turned to the side and began to hurl.

There were over three dozen cocoons and he had managed to tear open two. Half of which contained whole and alive people. Some were missing an arm or some fingers, but they were still alive.

The other half... the other half...

Min-ho cleaned out his mouth and wobbled to his feet.

"Min-ho?"

"Don’t come in here!" he screamed when he heard Im-hee’s voice. "I’m fine just... just stay there okay?"

"...okay," Im-hee responded.

After a deep exhale, he forced himself forward and continued to hack away at the cocoons.

***

A stone wall had covered the tunnel Sae-wee, Dok-su and Jang-book were. But the Spectors broke through it like it was paper.

They bulldozed their way across the tunnel, chasing after a blood trail that lined the floors.

The Spectors kept going, their speed unrelenting.

After a couple of seconds, they had gone deep into the tunnels.

Just then, the wall inside the tunnel crumbled, revealing Sae-wee, Dok-su and Jang-book.

Sae-wee fell to the ground on all fours, gasping desperately for air.

Dok-su and Jang-book were also on all fours, panting hard.

After a few moments, Dok-su got up, being the first to do so, he helped Jang-book up, who was still gasping for air.

Sae-wee forced herself up, while holding her bleeding arm which was wrapped by a torn piece of Jang-book’s jacket.

The rest of the jacket had been torn up to tie both Dok-su’s and Jang-book’s self inflicted wounds on their arms as well.

"Good thinking, Sae-wee," Dok-su said, holding onto Jang-book.

She nodded, then turned to Jang-book.

"I’m fine," he puffed, then pushed away from Dok-su.

In truth, Jang-book was not fine. He looked pale and tired. His blue hair was disheveled and sticking to his sweat covered face.

He exhausted himself too much by creating a landmass of 500 meters. He looked like he would collapse if he exerted himself any more. But he wasn’t done yet.

Jang-book walked to the edge of the tunnel, then he willed a slab of stone to jet out. He stepped on it, and willed another to jet out from the wall. He continued this till a set of stairs lined the walls. Which Sae-wee and Dok-su followed behind on.

Sae-wee turned to the tunnel the Spectors ran into. She stared at it for a second, then she turned to the stairway and began to climb.

***

"Who is that?" Im-hee asked, gasping as she saw Min-ho pulling along a person covered in purple goo.

She rushed in at once, helping him.

Just as she reached him, Min-ho fell to the ground, his eyes sunken and hollow.

"Min-ho?" she called, staring at him.

He was frozen in place, trying to recollect himself but failing to do so. The images of the pile of melted body parts haunted his vision.

Yet he knew he had to do much worse.

Finding some courage inside himself, he gritted his teeth and forced himself onto his feet.

"I... I uh, found them in the cocoon," he said, hunched over, his hands on his knees.

Im-hee’s eyes widened.

"What’s going on?" Ji-su asked, standing a feet away from them.

"Min-ho found people in the cocoons," Sae-wee explained and Ji-su gasped.

"Really?" He inched a bit closer despite not knowing where he was going.

"They... they..." he shook his head. "They aren’t back yet?" he asked, staring at the path leading to the pool of acid.

Im-hee shook her head.

Min-ho turned to the cavern, staring at the light of the sun. It was inclined at an angle, which was enough to tell the sun was starting to set.

He bit his lip.

"There’s more of them. I’m going to get them." He turned to Im-hee. "Don’t heal them, and if it’s life threatening, then let them be."

Im-hee looked up at Min-ho, staring at him with a solemn gaze.

Ji-su shifted as he heard this.

’I don’t want anything happening to you.’ He wanted to say, but didn’t feel the need to paint himself as the hero.

"When I’m done, we’ll go after the others if they don’t return." He ran toward the path.

***

Sae-wee, Dok-su and Jang-book steadily made their way across the pool of acid thanks to Jang-book’s efforts.

While he tried to pretend otherwise, everyone could tell he was barely holding it together. Which made Sae-wee worried how he would make it across the small distance separating them from the Safe Zone.

As these thoughts ate at her, a sudden noise caught her attention.

Turning back, she saw the stone steps slowly crumbling into the pool of acid.

At first she thought nothing of it, but then, they started to crumbled rapidly.

"Jang-book?" Sae-wee called out, turning to him.

He was wobbling from side to side, then suddenly, he leaned against the wall.

Before she knew it, the slabs of stone on the wall all collapsed, save for the one Jang-book and Dok-su were standing on.

Instinctively reaching out a hand, she caught their slab of stone. But the edge gave out, and she fell.

"Got you," Dok-su said as he grabbed her just in time.

Sae-wee’s heart had jumped to her throat as she saw her life flash before her very eyes.

The heat of the green liquid below seeped up to her legs, reminding her of just how easy it would be for her to dissolve inside the liquids.

"Jang-book!" Dok-su called out, fear caressing his heart.

He pulled Sae-wee onto their slab, then he jerked Jang-book awake.

"Jang-book!" he called out.

Jang-book opened his eyes, gasping awake.

"What happened?" he asked, then turned to Sae-wee, who was motionless. Her gaze frozen on the pool of death below them.

He then trailed his gaze along the line his steps were supposed to be, and when he saw they were missing, realization sunk in and his eyes widened.

"Sae-wee, I’m so sor..."

His words faded from her hearing. At that moment, she couldn’t even blink. Her hands were shaking. But the worst was over...

Or so she thought.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

The sound bore into them, chilling all three of them to their bones.

A second later, a Spector came form their tunnel and fell into the pool of acid.

Their hearts jolted.

"They’re coming back," the three of them said.

Jang-book turned to the path ahead, then he brought out five steps at once. They bolted forward just as the Spectors poured out of the cave. Half of them falling into the acid, the other half climbing onto the wall and making their way for Sae-wee, Dok-su and Jang-book.