Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 98.4: Mausoleum (4)

It's a well-documented fact that mutations display an extreme hostility toward humans.

But their relentless slaughter of people isn’t solely driven by hatred.

Humans, when unarmed and untrained, are walking sources of protein—an easy meal if you know how to hunt them.

Even before the mutation outbreaks, there was the infamous case in India where an aging tiger hunted dozens of people.

The reality is, human flesh is a convenient, high-calorie food source.

The mutation we’re dealing with today likely hunts humans for practical reasons, not out of malice.

A narrow river like this can’t provide enough protein to sustain a multi-kilogram carnivore.

Meanwhile, despite their dwindling numbers, humans remain the most abundant large mammal on Earth.

If I were a giant otter, I’d hunt humans too.

Mutations that specialize in hunting humans are also well aware of human behavior.

They rarely expose themselves to gunfire.

Or rather, they actively avoid being observed by humans at all.

Their heightened intelligence allows them to understand that where human vision goes, the threat of gunfire follows.

"That bastard never gives me a clear shot. It’s even harder by the water. The moment it senses movement, it vanishes into the black depths. Once it’s in the water, there’s no tracking it. Even if you spot its shadow, that doesn’t mean you can kill it. I never realized how useless guns are underwater until now."

Ha Tae-hoon was explaining the classic difficulties of hunting man-eating mutations.

Creatures that are determined to flee are notoriously hard to catch.

The fact that the Gold Pack has survived despite countless hunters going after them is proof enough.

"So, I set up cameras along its usual routes, but it’s not easy. Even if I move to a location where it was last seen, the damn thing senses my presence first and disappears. You know that feeling, right? The tension when a mutation is lurking in ambush?"

"It’d be just as hard to approach from our end."

I stated, and Ha Tae-hoon spat on the ground before nodding.

"...Yeah. And I’m alone out here. If I screw up, I become one of those skulls the otter likes to pile up."

Ha Tae-hoon turned his gaze to the tablet screen.

On one of the feeds, the massive otter was leisurely swimming, its expression calm and utterly unbothered.

"So, how do you want to do this?"

He looked at me.

Mutant hunting isn’t my specialty.

My team and I always prioritized monsters over mutations.

Monsters were far more valuable and were considered targets for high-ranking squads like mine.

But I’ve seen plenty of cases, and I’ve had my fair share of hands-on experience with mutations in Korea.

And I’ve learned one crucial lesson—

"Mutations are smart."

Intelligence is what elevated them to near-human status in the food chain.

But nothing in this world is an advantage without a downside.

"Which is why they let their guard down."

Carelessness is a weed that only grows in the soil of confidence and security.

And the more certain a being is of its strength, the larger that weed grows.

Humans, for example, are the only species capable of nurturing their overconfidence to a degree that leads to their own destruction.

Mutations, which have risen to a status comparable to humans, are no different.

They all have one place where they feel absolutely safe.

That safe zone is always tied to what they perceive as their greatest advantage.

For the man-eating otter, I believe that place is on the water’s surface.

"Wait, you’re saying we should send a boat downstream?"

That’s right.

Instead of approaching from the riverbank—where the creature instinctively avoids human presence—we’d move on the water itself.

What would happen if it saw a human invading its domain?

It might just decide to engage.

"I’m not great at swimming. Pools were shut down when I was a kid."

"It’s not about swimming. I’m thinking of a coordinated attack using multiple drones. The thing hasn’t given us an opening yet, but it can’t avoid us forever."

Cheon Young-jae and Ha Tae-hoon didn’t seem convinced.

But I don’t have time.

I need to get into John Nae-non’s mausoleum and retrieve his final records as soon as possible.

A swift trip to Jeju is the only way to gain some semblance of security for my future.

It’s also my one chance to uncover what I’ve been desperately wanting to know—about Korea, about humanity’s fate.

If Kim Daram’s forces launch a coordinated attack on my bunker, I don’t have much of a chance.

Even with fighters like Cheon Young-jae and Ha Tae-hoon by my side, the reality wouldn’t change.

I know this because I’ve fought too many humans.

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

And I’ve killed too many of them.

"I’ll be the one on the boat. Can you get me one?"

I hate unnecessary risks.

But when faced with a guaranteed future death, I’m not going to hold back.

Like it or not, I was once at the top of the Old-School Hunter hierarchy.

My word carries weight.

"...There’s a rafting boat I had my eye on."

"Rafting boat?"

"That’s the only thing close to a boat around here. Will that work?"

Ha Tae-hoon seemed uncertain.

I gave him a calm smile.

"Just get it for me. Oh, and one more thing."

I glanced into his tent and pointed.

"Can I use that?"

*

Jang Ki-young, my old instructor, spent countless sleepless nights dreaming of shaping hunters into humanity’s ultimate warriors.

It was only natural that he was obsessed with underwater combat.

"One day, we’ll have to deal with waterborne mutations or monsters. When that time comes, hunters need to be comfortable in the water! Under the Sea! Hunters!"

That’s why our now-destroyed school had an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool.

Of course, that pool eventually became a luxury playground for students like Woo Min-hee, who liked posing for swimsuit photos.

But during the school year, it was also used for actual training.

Thanks to that, I have no fear of water.

I also learned how to maintain balance on watercraft.

One of our drills involved standing on a banana boat in a wave pool while shooting at targets.

At the time, I thought Jang Ki-young was insane.

But looking back, it was useful.

"The otter is 3km downstream, still on the rock piling up skulls. We’ll move into position for support."

Cheon Young-jae and Ha Tae-hoon headed off on electric scooters.

I strapped a small camera to my shoulder and grabbed my paddle.

The boat was made of reinforced plastic resin, large enough to fit up to eight people.

The river was deep in some areas—up to 3 meters in spots—but mostly hovered around 1.5 meters.

There were obstacles everywhere—hidden stepping stones, decorative rocks, and sharp debris from collapsed structures.

The current was usually slow, but some bottlenecks made it dangerously fast.

Click.

As usual, my weapon of choice was a rifle.

I didn’t wear a life vest.

I had no intention of falling in, and if I did, a life vest would only be a death sentence against the otter.

Crackle—

The radio buzzed.

"The target’s still there. It just yawned. Really lazily."

Ha Tae-hoon’s voice came through.

He was still skeptical of my plan.

And I got it.

His method was traps and patience—waiting for the mutation to fall into a snare.

That strategy minimizes risk but burns time—a resource we don’t have.

Sometimes, finishing things quickly and decisively is the better option.

Risk isn’t something to always avoid.

If it’s manageable, we have to accept it.

That’s what it means to be a hunter.

I lost countless teammates this way, but I stand by it.

It minimized damage elsewhere.

Swish—

I pushed off a rock, letting the boat drift into the current.

It wobbled at first, then smoothly slid downstream.

"Moving now. ETA: ten minutes. Let me know if the target moves."

"Nobody else around?"

"None. Nobody dares go near this place—that’s why we need to kill this damn otter."

"Still, double-check."

I gripped my rifle as the boat slipped downriver.

"1km out. Do you see the target?"

"Not yet. What’s it doing?"

"No movement yet. If we approached on foot, it’d bolt into the water instantly."

"Let’s wait a bit longer."

I know how mutations behave.

They hate humans, but they also have a drive to challenge them.

In other words, they don’t flee from battlefields where they believe they have the advantage.

Their heightened intelligence gifted them with arrogance—an attribute once reserved only for humans.

Whether that’s a gift or a curse remains to be seen.

"500 meters."

"Ah, I see it."

"I’m moving into position."

"No. Stay put."

"What?!"

"The worst-case scenario is it running away. We can’t let that happen."

From the very beginning, my plan was set.

A mutation that prioritizes escape must be denied that option.

That means I have to fight it in its own domain, one-on-one.

But I’ve made my preparations.

Through my handheld scope, I spotted the otter.

It was still lounging on the rock, yawning lazily, surrounded by skulls.

Its ears twitched.

Then, it turned its gaze towards me.

And dove into the water.

But not downstream—upstream.

It chose me.

The fading sunlight made the water’s surface shimmer.

As soon as it entered, it disappeared from view.

I tucked my rifle under the boat’s rim and stood at the bow.

The hunt begins.

Not a difficult one.

In the dark water, I could see a shadow.

I let it come closer.

Its pattern was obvious.

It would capsize the boat, wait for me to flounder, and crush my skull between its jaws.

It approached in a perfectly straight line—blatant and confident.

Because it thought I was unarmed.

"Hey! Park Gyu! It’s right on you!"

Ha Tae-hoon’s panicked voice rang out.

"I know."

I bent down and grabbed my weapon.

Not my rifle.

A battery.

The otter kept coming.

It had no idea what I was holding.

Bzzzzt—!

I dunked the power cable from Ha Tae-hoon’s drone battery straight into the water.

On the surface, nothing changed.

But in the droplets splashing onto my arms, I could feel the tingling sensation of electric current.

BZZZZZT!

It wasn’t enough voltage to kill a 50-kilogram mutant otter.

But—

BZZZT!

It was enough to stun it.

The moment I saw its body seize up, I grabbed my rifle.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The water exploded with red-tinged splashes as the otter thrashed violently.

The moment it tried to turn away, I switched to full auto and emptied the entire magazine.

RATATATATATA!

It fled.

If this were on land, it’d be dead.

But water is dense—resistant to gunfire.

Still, I hit it.

"This is Park Gyu. Target is wounded and fleeing."

"Knew it! Damn, Professor, nice work! Moving now!"

Hunting an injured beast is the oldest thrill for hunters.

The blood-stained water was turning darker with the sunset.

Finding its trail was difficult.

But we had an Awakened with us.

Cheon Young-jae pointed toward the reeds.

And that’s where we finished it off.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Ha Tae-hoon fired the killing shot.

He approached me, shaking his head with a disbelieving grin.

"I can’t believe that worked. Who the hell kills a monster like this?"

"Mutations underestimate humans."

"So, where are we heading now?"

Ha Tae-hoon was secured.

But there was one more thing I needed him to check.

*

"This is..."

It didn’t feel good.

I had a bad feeling about this from the start.

Why?

Because the thing I’m after is too valuable.

John Nae-non’s mausoleum’s location isn’t exactly a state secret.

And sure enough—

"The Chinese."

Inside the ruins of an old apartment complex, two kilometers from the mausoleum, a group of Chinese operatives had set up camp.

They were wearing radiation suits.

But among them stood one man—an anachronism in this post-apocalyptic world.

A man wielding an ancient guandao, the long polearm ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ glinting under the dim sky.

Though his face was obscured by his hazmat hood, his stance exuded confidence.

"Bai Tou.”

Ha Tae-hoon muttered the name.

"Why the hell is China’s strongest fighter here?"