Life Mission Chapter 22:
Life Mission
Volume 1 Chapter 22
From afar, Park Jin Hyuk picked his ear with his finger .
“We don’t need to think so deeply into it . I mean someone will become the bait . ”
The expressions of the party members hardened at the mention of bait . If they had not heard wrong, he meant for someone to become live bait to lure the mutants .
“It’s a joke . If we make a small wound and put the blood in a specific location, I’m sure they’ll come looking for it . We can follow after hiding . ”
They would have come up with a precise operation if the opponent were human, but there was no need to go that far with mutants . This was a simple, yet effective method .
“The person who will make the wound… . . ?”
“Since I brought it up, I’ll do it . Let’s look for a location . ”
As Lloyd claimed it, Hicks’ people brightened . They were not scared of making a wound, but they did not like the thought of what could happen if the mutants caught scent of the wound .
Tatak .
The party’s movement became active as they now had a task to complete . They would save time if they succeeded or would have to keep looking if they did not . There was nothing to lose .
***
The party members hid behind a boulder and tree . They had chosen the location to lure the mutants to as an open place about 30m away .
Seukuk .
Lloyd cut his hand with a dagger .
As the sharp blade cut along his palm, blood flowed out .
The flow became stronger as he squeezed his wrist . A small amount might not carry the smell very far even with the wind . and he needed to make it count .
Seuk .
He wiped his hands with a clean cloth and put ointment on it . As soon as he put the medicine on, a scab formed .
He stayed on the spot and used the odorless spray . If he cleaned the blood while he moved, they would not be able to control the smell . He needed to take care of it in one spot .
The party members were waiting behind a projection . The projection was a camouflage item that let objects pass through while hiding up to 10 people .
Lloyd’s party had invested 1000 points on the projection . They had survived a few times because of it . It was compatible with the odorless spray .
“That’s fascinating . ”
“There are a lot of cool things when you look through the store . ”
It was impossible to look inside from outside, but the reverse was possible . Just as there were items necessary in battle, there were items necessary to survival .
Jiing .
Lloyd joined them . When Henry covered them with the projection, a boulder and tree appeared, erasing all traces of the party . Perfect camouflaging .
From then, they waited in silence for the mutants to appear .
***
They started getting hungry 2 hours after they set up the trap . A strange sound came from one side of the forest . No one suspected that it was a mutant .
Hwak .
There was a fishy smell . The smell of blood . It had been long since Lloyd’s blood had hardened . This was fresh – like that of an animal that had just been slaughtered .
The human sense of smell was not sensitive . But it was clear that it was nearby . And then, in a matter of a few blinks, there was a mutant in front of them .
It is a biped and similar to a human being . The differences were in its sharp teeth, awl-like fingers and toenails, and arms and legs that seemed a bit too long .
‘Cannibal!’
‘There’s no way all 1500 mutants mentioned in the scenario are cannibals?’
Cannibal .
It was the strongest creature in Level 1 . Its physical ability was that of a sturdy man, but its speed was supreme .
With a crafty personality, it had the habit of figuring out the opponent’s disadvantage while fighting .
Facing one cannibal was like going up against 3 or 4 mid-Level 1 mutants .
Sniff sniff .
The cannibal looked around and put his nose to Lloyd’s blood . It seemed to like the smell by the way it kept flaring its nose .
Its bumpy tongue licked the blood . The party members shivered when thinking about something so hideous running its tongue along their skin .
Kwajik .
The cannibal ate something it had been holding in its hand . It had been chewed to the point where it was unrecognizable, but it looked like a mutant .
He ate it ravenously . The large piece of meat was gone in seconds and its stomach bulged . It was an amount that a person would not have been able to eat .
It did not leave even after eating the meat . Looking at it closely, it was hesitating around the area where Lloyd’s blood had fallen . It wanted more .
The party members watched this for dozens of minutes while hiding behind the projection . Every second felt like a minute . They just wanted for it to go away .
Seuk .
Their desperation was rewarded when the cannibal left the blood and turned its back .
‘Are we going to follow it?’
‘Not yet . ’
Lloyd shook his head . If the cannibal was using its head, they would be caught as soon as they went out . They needed to take some time instead of going out right away .
30 minutes passed after the cannibal disappeared . At that point, they put the projection away .
There was a limit to how long they could hide . With this much time, it was okay for them to slowly follow it .
Lloyd searched the ground . Since it had not been long since it left, it left its trace in broken twigs and footsteps .
“Let’s go . ”
The party got their equipment together and followed Lloyd . The search had started .
Rustle .
It was after the cannibal and Lloyd’s party had disappeared . Bushes nearby rustled as something raised its head .
Kiki!
A rough face drew a dark line . Another cannibal was looking in the direction that the party had gone in . It was a horrific scene .
Papat!
The cannibal hid its trace . It looked like the party who had set up a trap to lure the mutants were the ones being lured instead .
***
“What is that?”
“A trap . ”
“Not that . Why is it so smart? It would put Zhuge Liang to shame . ”
If Zhuge Liang had heard this, he would have been astonished . One of the most accomplished strategists of the past being compared to cannibals .
Cha Jun Sung and Park Jin Hyuk had witnessed everything from the start to finish .
When the first cannibal appeared, the second had settled in the bushes without moving . It looked like a lookout just in case it was a trap .
It seemed to be a case where they knew of the party’s existence but did not know its exact location . Its smile when the party folded the projection proved this .
The situation was like a snake luring itself with its own tail and ripping it apart to get eaten . The party thought that it had succeeded in luring the cannibal, but it had dug its own grave .
They were Lifers who had gone through everything, but they could not have dreamed that a Level 1 would use such strategy like a high level mutant .
They had gotten caught in a trap so easily . Cha Jun Sung did not consider them stupid . He would have fallen for it as well if he had been in their position .
“Don’t we need to go and tell them? They’ll be annihilated like that . ”
Park Jin Hyuk was right . If left alone, they would get trapped and become the cannibals’ food . If they ran to tell them now, they could stop it .
“They might be able to find the military base too . ”
“That’s so, but I feel wrong about using people as live bait . ”
Park Jin Hyuk was pure like his young age . Cha Jun Sung did not want to do it either, but they could get dragged into it as well if they acted too quickly .
“We don’t have the responsibility of saving them just because we saw what happened . ”
It may have sounded cold, but it was the truth . To put their lives on the line for others? They could do that, but only as long as they were people worth doing that for .
At this moment, Cha Jun Sung was not bothered by being on the sidelines .
He was just sorry that just as the party had lured the mutant to find the base, he was using the party though it could be dangerous .
“Let’s help them if we get the chance . Then we’ll have to follow them, won’t we?”
“Yes!”
Park Jin Hyuk’s face brightened . Cha Jun Sung did not want them to be killed either . It was better the more Lifers there were . If they had the chance, they would help in any way they could .
If not…… they would leave them .