I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 101 – Fire Axe

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[Warning: 22 seconds until wildfire arrival. Fire shutters are operating.]

“Oh, I need to get out quickly.”

Through the building’s glass window, bright red flames flickered like a serpent’s tongue.

The sky was crimson as if the end of the world had arrived, and the combination of flames and smoke obscured visibility. It felt like this could be what it would feel like if demons descended upon the world. The ridgeline glowed red, as if freshly pulled from hell.

Looking at that scene naturally made me feel solemn, but if I delayed any longer, the wildfire would reach me. The unstable air currents created by the flames were already sweeping the area. Soon, even the nearby vehicles would explode.

Choosing to land in a relatively outlying area, which players rarely sought out, was a good decision. As one climbed to higher tiers, prioritizing survival over combat became the norm, but that didn’t mean the survival rate at landmarks was high.

22 seconds was indeed a very short time.

The wildfire was now raging in full force. If the surrounding environment had been well-maintained, it might have been different, but the spread of the Omega virus quickly neglected the maintenance of large-scale facilities in the mountains.

In other words, kindling had penetrated into the facility.

The flames licked inside the compound like a living creature’s tongue. The crackling sound could be heard even through the glass windows. Since I had already gathered all my belongings, I just needed to get out.

Given that this path led to the center of the map, staying around here might allow me to easily gather kill points, but no matter how realistic the virtual reality was, fire evoked a fundamental fear in humans.

I opened the door and stepped out of the control room.

Shutters on the ceilings of various parts of the building descended simultaneously, spreading an ominous voice throughout. The building was fairly large with several floors, so it took some time to find a path not blocked by the shutters.

Unfortunately, and predictably, the main passage on the first floor was also blocked.

“I should have left earlier.”

Maybe I could break a window to get out.

I wasn’t entirely familiar with the facility’s layout, so I started exploring the first floor. However, the facility, not designed with human-friendliness in mind, had become even more nature-friendly as it ceased human activity, with several doors refusing to open.

As the wildfire approached, the fire subsided, leaving only the faint red lighting created by the wildfire and the loud siren from the ceiling, casting a very faint light in the hallway.

It wasn’t a sight I saw often, but it wasn’t unfamiliar either. Combined with the beeping siren mixed with the white noise of burning branches, it felt like a scene from a thriller movie.

However, this was a game. And I had spent a ridiculously long time in AP. No matter the fear-inducing circumstances, there were no ghosts in the game, and people died when shot.

So, there was no reason to be scared.

Of course,

That was until I heard a sound I had never heard before mixed with the siren.

───BOOM!

“…What the hell is that sound?”

It wasn’t the sound of a bomb… If it were, the sound would be much grander.

Moreover, it wasn’t a single sound but a series of continuous noises. They all sounded similar but were slightly different upon closer listening. It wasn’t occurring at regular intervals either.

I exhaled heavily.

My finger naturally tensed on the trigger, my heart raced, and my lips dried up. Despite the hundreds of degrees of heat encroaching on the building, my fingers felt as cold as ice.

Should I check it out?

There wasn’t necessarily a need to. This place would soon be within the kill zone. The better plan was to go outside, hide near a vehicle, and ambush enemies trying to use it.

The problem was that finding a way out was difficult due to the fire shutters. If I had a skill like a sticky bomb, I could destroy the shutters easily, but there was no skill activation zone in this scarcely populated place.

I was back at square one. I needed to find a room with a window to break and get out. For that, I needed to explore the first floor a bit more.

‘…I hate moments like these.’

Humans tend to fear moments beyond their control.

Though I had faced similar situations during my long career as a professional gamer at Xi, when in such situations, I usually chose to fight outside the building.

It wasn’t just because running around inside wasted time, but also because I didn’t want to meet an enemy while struggling in a pit of tension that I didn’t even want to touch for long.

To be frank, it felt like my lifespan was being cut short.

───THUD! CRACK!

“…Seriously, who is it? Aren’t they getting tired?”

I muttered softly enough that no one else could hear.

Feeling like I was playing hide and seek with a monster, I instinctively hugged the assault rifle tighter, knowing it wouldn’t be used much after this round anyway.

I had an inkling of what the noise was, but I didn’t really want to know. If my guess was correct, well, something must have gone terribly wrong while playing the game.

Having explored about half of the first floor, I hadn’t found a window to break and get out. Maybe it was because I was exploring the side facing the mountain.

In the end, I had no choice but to cross the central hallway.

‘This feels uneasy…’

As quickly as possible.

But I didn’t forget the quick aim that came from my CQB experience every time I turned a corner. However, the inexplicable fear rising from deep within my heart only grew stronger.

Moving as quietly as possible, I carefully checked both sides with just my eyes. The central hallway formed a cross shape. Thus, the first floor could be divided into four quadrants based on the central hallway.

I sprinted across the cross hallway, the most dangerous spot. At the same time, I planned to quickly check if anyone was around and cautiously explore the opposite quadrant if it was clear.

I sprinted across, quickly checking both sides. There were no silhouettes that looked like enemies.

But something more important etched into my retina.

“…!”

A completely destroyed fire shutter.

A hole big enough for one person to pass through, with red flames flickering and smoke billowing behind it. My dazed mind quickly processed the warning, but unfortunately,

We were already within each other’s range.

­BUZZ!

In the last moment, I felt a presence behind me.

As I hastily rolled to the side, a chilling wind grazed my ear, followed by a peculiar crashing sound, as if concrete was being shattered. As I quickly turned around, something came into view.

A figure standing with the red siren from the ceiling and the encroaching flames from outside as a backdrop. The intimidating, expressionless eyes seen through the gas mask and the full armor from head to toe.

But there was something different. What was in the person’s hand wasn’t a gun.

It was a fire axe.

“Whoaah!”

───RATATATAT!

The overwhelming fear, as if all the blood in my body was being drained from head to toe, combined with muscle memory from handling firearms, somehow allowed me to spray bullets in that desperate moment.

Standing up and running with the hallway filled with muzzle flashes. Though it was hard to breathe, I somehow increased the distance and aimed down the hallway.

At that moment, the firefight began.

The two of us, hiding at opposite ends of the hallway, fired bullets at each other, but unfortunately, I had used up seven rounds initially and had to reload first.

The mysterious assailant didn’t miss that chance.

Seizing the opportunity, a heavy noise rapidly approached from the opposite end of the hallway. The hallway was about 40 meters long. Exercising utmost focus, I swiftly reloaded and aimed down the hallway.

But at that moment, what I saw wasn’t the assailant crossing the hallway but a fast-approaching unidentified object aimed at me.

Reflexively, I raised my gun to block it.

“Argh!”

CLANG!

The sound of metal clashing against metal.

I somehow managed to block it, but the impact on my arm was severe. Aiming was out of the question, and even if I could aim, there was no way to stop the figure that had already approached right in front of me.

Is this what it feels like to be hit by a car? With that thought, I was rammed into the hallway wall by the assailant. What I saw at that moment was the fire axe spinning in the air, having been deflected off my gun, and now beginning to fall.

As I caught it with my left hand, a black object emerged from the assailant’s right arm, aiming at me.

A gun.

[Notification: Multiple fractures detected. Self-healing and status abnormality ‘Confusion’ will be lifted in 10 seconds.]

My hands lost strength.

The assailant, who had been observing the situation for a moment, expressed surprise with a voice like rolling jade beads—though slightly muffled due to the gas mask.

“It’s amazing that you avoided the attack.”

“…Really….”

I can’t take this anymore, seriously. This is too much.

By now, not knowing who my opponent was would be foolish. Yoo Jin, the one I had only heard about. Such terrible luck.

She glanced at the axe in her left hand for a moment, then roughly secured it to the backpack on her back and raised her gun.

Looking at it, I just barely managed to add,

“If there’s a next time… let’s fight in an open field.”

“Haha. I’ll try if I can.”

THUD.

A flash of light appeared before my eyes.

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