The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 11: Descending Into Danger

The stairwell was silent.

Too silent.

Jin led the way down, pipe gripped tight in his hands. The emergency lights flickered weakly, casting broken shadows against the walls. Every step felt heavier. The air was thick, heavy with something unspoken.

The third floor had felt safe—or at least, safe enough.

But now, as they moved deeper into the building, that illusion crumbled.

Jin pushed open the stairwell door.

Nothing.

The office floor stretched out in front of them—rows of overturned desks, papers scattered across the floor, broken computer monitors blinking static.

But there was no blood. No bodies.

Just... emptiness.

Joon-seok exhaled. "Did people evacuate?"

Seul-ki's eyes darted across the room, uncertain. "Then where did they go?"

Jin didn't answer. His gut told him something wasn't right. The last time he had been on this floor—before the world changed—there had been dozens of people working.

Now, it was a ghost town.

Echo coughed lightly, his voice glitching. "...Feels like we're being watched."

Jin didn't like that.

"Keep moving."

By the time they reached the first floor, the air had changed.

The office lobby was in ruins.

Chairs overturned.

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Glass shattered across the tile.

Blood smeared on the walls—dark, already drying.

Still, no bodies.

Jin's grip on the pipe tightened. Where the hell did everyone go?

Seul-ki's breathing was uneven. "This... this isn't normal."

No one disagreed.

They moved carefully past the broken furniture, stepping over spilled papers and shattered coffee cups.

Then—Jin saw it.

A massive dent in the wall near the front desk. Like something big had crashed into it.

He frowned. A monster?

Echo exhaled sharply. "Let's just get out of here."

Jin didn't argue.

They pushed open the front doors—

And stepped into a dead city.

The moment they stepped outside, the silence hit harder.

No cars moving. No voices. Just wind drifting through a broken city.

Shattered windows.

Abandoned cars with doors left open.

A traffic light flickering weakly.

Blood smeared on the concrete.

But, again—no bodies.

Seul-ki wrapped her arms around herself. "...Where is everyone?"

Joon-seok looked around, his hands clenching. "We should find shelter. Before something finds us."

Jin agreed.

But then—Joon-seok tensed.

His voice dropped to a whisper. "There's someone there."

Jin followed his gaze.

A figure slumped against a car.

Motionless.

Still bleeding.

Jin took a step forward—but Echo grabbed his arm.

"Wait."

Jin turned, frowning.

Echo's expression was tight, controlled. "We don't know what happened here."

Jin hesitated. His instinct was to move, to check.

And then—

A whistle cut through the silence.

Light. Casual. Playful.

Jin's pulse spiked.

They weren't alone.

The whistle was soft.

Light.

Too casual.

Like someone strolling through a park—like nothing was wrong.

Jin's fingers curled tighter around the pipe. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, but he didn't move.

None of them did.

The tune drifted lazily through the air, weaving through the silence like it belonged here. Like it had always been here.

Then—footsteps.

Slow. Measured.

Approaching.

Jin's grip tightened. Who the hell—?

A shadow stretched across the pavement.

Then—they stepped into view.

Jin's eyes narrowed.

A girl.

Barefoot. Blood splattered on her arms and jumpsuit.

Orange fabric hung loosely from her frame—a prison jumpsuit.

She didn't look rushed. Didn't look afraid.

She moved with ease.

Like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

And she was smiling.

Soft. Dreamy. Like she had just woken up from a pleasant nap.

The whistle trailed off as she came to a stop.

Then—she saw them.

Her head tilted slightly, blinking.

Then, her smile brightened.

"Oh! Did you come to help too?"

No one answered.

Seul-ki's eyes flickered to the jumpsuit, recognition dawning. "...That's from a prison."

Echo's fingers twitched at his sides. "She... doesn't look hurt."

Jin said nothing.

She wasn't tense.

Wasn't cautious.

She wasn't acting like someone struggling to survive.

His stomach twisted.

Something was wrong.

Joon-seok swallowed. His voice was quiet, hesitant. "What... what do you mean, 'help'?"

The girl blinked, then giggled. "Oh, silly. Helping people, the ones who are suffering."

Her tone was light. Cheerful.

Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Then—the body on the ground moved.

A sharp, gasping breath.

Their fingers twitched, weakly reaching out. "P-Please... help—"

Jin's stomach dropped.

They were still alive.

And she didn't even look surprised.

The girl perked up.

"Oh! You poor thing."

She took a step forward.

Jin moved before he could think—but Echo grabbed his arm again.

His voice was tight. "Wait."

Jin froze.

Something in Echo's tone—not fear. Not panic.

Something worse.

Recognition.

The girl knelt beside the dying person, pulling them into a hug.

Her bloodstained hands brushed through their hair.

"Shhh," she whispered. "It's okay now."

Jin felt Seul-ki stiffen beside him.

Why is she acting like this?

The person in her arms trembled, their breaths uneven. But they weren't pulling away.

She held them closer.

Then—her fist moved.

A single, light tap to their temple.

A child's hit. Barely more than a touch.

The injured person flinched—but then relaxed.

No pain.

No reaction.

Just a shaky, relieved breath.

Joon-seok exhaled, almost confused. "What—"

Then—the girl smiled.

"Goodbye."

Jin's chest seized.

And then—

Their skull caved in.

A sickening crunch.

Blood splattered across the girl's face.

Jin felt Seul-ki gasp. Felt Joon-seok take a half-step back.

Echo didn't move.

The girl blinked, slowly.

Her fingers ran across her cheek, swiping the blood from her skin.

She examined it—then wiped it on her jumpsuit.

And finally—

She looked at them.

Her eyes locked onto Jin's.

And she smiled.

The smile she gave them was soft.

Friendly.

Like she had just waved at a neighbor across the street.

Jin's heart hammered.

The body was still twitching. The blood was still spreading. The air was still thick with the scent of death.

But she was just standing there.

Calm. Content.

Like none of it mattered.

Like none of it had ever mattered.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

Seul-ki's breath hitched. "She... she just..."

Joon-seok took a slow, shaky step back. "What the fuck—"

The girl's head tilted.

She blinked.

Then—her smile faltered.

Her eyes swept over them. Jin saw the moment she noticed their faces.

The horror.

The disgust.

Her expression flickered—confusion.

Then—hurt.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Her voice was small.

Like a child realizing, for the first time, that they had done something wrong.

Jin didn't answer.

His jaw was locked. His fingers felt like they were fusing to the pipe.

She took a step closer.

"You..." she hesitated, voice uncertain. "You look scared."

She let out a soft, almost nervous laugh.

"I—I don't get it."

She wiped at her cheek again, smearing red across her jaw.

"It's okay! He was suffering."

Another step.

"You saw it, right? He was hurting. It was the kindest thing to do."

Seul-ki shuddered.

"You killed him."

The girl paused.

For a second, her expression was blank.

Then, she giggled.

"Of course I did."

Jin's mind was racing.

Who the hell is this?

The way she moved. The way she spoke. Like she believed it.

Like it was the only logical conclusion.

Then, Echo stiffened.

A glitching breath.

"...I remember something."

The girl perked up.

"Oh? Do you?"

Echo didn't look at her. His gaze was somewhere else. Searching through a memory.

"A few months ago," he murmured. "There was an incident. It was all over the news."

Jin's stomach tightened.

Echo continued.

"A teenage girl... killed her whole family. One by one."

Seul-ki sucked in a breath.

"She didn't run. She didn't hide. When the police found her, she was just..."

Echo's voice dropped.

"...sitting in the living room, smiling."

A cold chill crawled down Jin's spine.

The girl's smile stretched.

"Ahhh," she sighed. "So you do know me."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"My family was suffering," she said softly. "We had no money. No food."

Her fingers twitched at her sides.

"My little brother was crying all the time. My mom was sick. My dad was drinking himself to death."

She looked up, eyes bright.

"And I realized... I could fix it."

Jin felt his stomach churn.

"I made sure they didn't suffer anymore."

She smiled.

"And now that more people are suffering, I can keep helping more people."

Silence.

A thick, suffocating silence.

Seul-ki breathed in sharply.

"...You killed them."

The girl blinked.

She let out another soft, melodic giggle.

Then, it stopped.

Her face went blank.

Jin exhaled slowly. His knuckles were white against the steel pipe.

This wasn't just insanity.

This was something worse.

Something beyond broken.

He took a step forward, eyes locked onto hers.

His voice was low. Flat.

"...You're a monster."

The air shifted.

A thick, suffocating tension crashed down around them.

Her expression froze.

Then—

Her entire body twitched.

Like he had stabbed her.

Like the word itself was a knife.

Jin felt his pulse spike.

Her hands trembled. Her breathing hitched.

Then, suddenly—

CRACK.

She slammed her own fist into the side of her head.

Once.

Twice.

Her nails dug into her scalp. Her face contorted—teeth clenched, eyes wild.

"Don't call me that."

Her voice was raw.

Jin stiffened.

Her entire body twitched again.

She let out a shaky breath, exhaling slowly.

Then—she smiled.

Like nothing had happened.

She wiped at her cheek again, smearing red across her skin.

Her fingers curled into fists.

"You seem strong. That's good."

Then—her grin returned.

"But you're suffering, aren't you?"

She took another step.

"Don't worry."

Her fingers tensed.

Her bloodstained smile stretched.

She lunged.

"I'll put you out of your misery, too."