Chapter 196: The Vehicle Depot
From the rooftop, Jaxon could no longer get a clear view of the street below. ’I need to change positions.’
He slung his DMR across his back and looked toward the next building. The gap wasn’t too wide, but there was no proper path connecting the two structures.
Jaxon stepped onto the ledge and jumped. His boots landed on a metal ventilation unit with a loud clang. He immediately bent his knees to absorb the impact before pushing himself forward.
Then he spotted the group below, with several Grasshopper Infected were hot on their heels. He quickly pulled out his DMR and aimed.
THUP! THUP! THUP! Three Grasshopper Infected dropped almost simultaneously, their bodies tumbling onto the street below.
The remaining creatures suddenly stopped and their heads snapped upward, finally locating the source of the shots.
"KRAAA!" Several of them abandoned the group and rushed toward the building. They climbed the walls and leaped between structures, desperately trying to reach him.
Jaxon calmly looked down at them. "Yeah, get over here."
He then sprinted toward the opposite edge of the rooftop before jumping toward a nearby window. His shoulder slammed into the frame as he rolled through, using his momentum to soften the landing. Without slowing down, he sprinted through the empty hallway and burst through another window on the opposite side.
He landed on the next rooftop, dropped to one knee, and immediately raised his rifle.
THUP! THUP!
Two more infected below collapsed. But then, a sudden movement caught his attention. The Grasshoppers he had lured away had already reached the building.
One climbed over the ledge and lunged toward him, only to be met by a bullet. Its head snapped backward, and its body tumbled from the rooftop. Another followed, but instead of charging straight at him, it suddenly ducked behind a concrete structure.
Jaxon narrowed his eyes. ’It took cover?’
The other infected began doing the same. They moved between walls, air-conditioning units, and other structures, using anything they could find as cover instead of exposing themselves to his rifle.
Jaxon glanced at the distance between the rooftops, then he ran. His boots slammed against the concrete as he accelerated toward the edge. At the last moment, he jumped, and the DMR in his hands disappeared into his Storage Space.
His hands barely caught the edge of the next building. His body swung against the wall, but he quickly pulled himself up and rolled onto the rooftop.
Before he could even stand, a familiar screech came from behind him. "KRAAA!"
He drew his DMR from Storage Space and fired while moving.
THUP! THUP! One creature was hit in midair and crashed into the street below. Another landed on the rooftop and immediately charged.
Jaxon turned and sprinted again, jumping over a low wall just as another Grasshopper smashed into the spot where he had been standing.
BOOM! Concrete fragments scattered across the rooftop. But he didn’t look back.
The chase continued across the rooftops, the Grasshopper Infected relentlessly pursuing Jaxon through the darkness.
Below, Natasha and Na-rin kept firing as they ran, dropping any infected that got too close while leading the group through the streets.
"Jaxon, where do we go next?" Na-rin called through the radio.
For a moment, there was no answer.
"Jaxon?"
"Keep going straight, then turn left at the next street corner." His voice finally came through, followed by a sharp screech in the background.
THUP! The sound of flesh tearing apart followed.
Na-rin glanced up and spotted Jaxon moving across the rooftops. Several Grasshopper Infected were already climbing toward him from below, forcing him to keep moving.
"Are you okay up there?"
"I can manage. Just keep moving."
Na-rin hesitated for a moment before turning her attention back to the street. She and Natasha continued leading the group, firing at the infected ahead while the others covered their sides and rear.
Thomas and Elena fired almost nonstop, keeping the creatures from getting too close, while Elaine, Bong-gu, and Haris watched their backs. Hae-in carried Sumiko while Claire stayed close to the twins, firing whenever she had a clear shot.
Bong-gu fired over his shoulder before ducking as an infected clawed at him. "Do we have some kind of bad luck? Why the hell do we keep running?!"
"Because everything in this place wants to eat us!" Haris shouted back.
Thomas suddenly pointed ahead. "We’re close! The mechanic area should be just around this corner!"
He turned into a narrow street and immediately spotted a large reinforced structure with a metal rolling shutter. "Here!"
Bong-gu slowed for a moment, staring at the dark entrance. "Are you sure this is the place?"
"Trust me!" Thomas shouted.
Natasha and Na-rin were already heading inside without hesitation.
"Come on, Bong-gu!" Haris grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along.
"Get inside, quickly!" Thomas shouted as he grabbed the rolling shutter and lifted it higher. One after another, the group rushed underneath. Hae-in ducked inside with Sumiko while Claire pulled the twins in behind her.
"Thomas, come on!" Elena shouted.
Thomas waited until the last person was through before releasing the shutter. CLANG! The heavy metal door slammed down just as the first infected reached them.
BANG! BANG! BANG! Several infected crashed into the shutter from outside, shaking the entire entrance.
Everyone froze for a moment, listening to the violent pounding from the other side.
Thomas backed away from the door, breathing heavily. "That was too close..."
A series of clicks echoed through the facility as he switched on the lights. One by one, the overhead lamps flickered to life, revealing a massive underground workshop large enough to hold hundreds of vehicles.
Rows of vehicles stretched deep into the massive underground workshop. Military trucks, utility vehicles, armored transports, and civilian cars filled the parking bays, while overhead cranes and repair platforms hung above several work areas.
Hae-in looked around in amazement. "This place is huge."
"We can admire it later. We need the keys," Thomas said, already moving toward the vehicles. The pounding from the entrance continued behind them, each impact making the metal shutter rattle.
"Split up and find the keys!" Natasha ordered. Everyone immediately spread out, checking the vehicles and searching the nearby workbenches for anything they could use.
"The Hilux is here!" Hae-in shouted.
BAM! BAM! BAM! Everyone flinched as another series of impacts struck the shutter. The metal had already begun bending inward.
Thomas glanced toward the entrance, his expression tightening. "One vehicle won’t be enough. Find at least two more!"
The group hurried between the rows, checking every vehicle they passed. Some had their doors locked, while others were missing parts or had been partially dismantled for repairs.
Bong-gu opened the door of an old utility vehicle and looked inside before grimacing. "Don’t tell me we have to repair these first."
Thomas shook his head. "Just keep looking. Find something that still runs."
Then Na-rin’s voice suddenly came from farther down the workshop. "I found one!"