T7RFHE 27💸

Chapter 27

BEEEEEP! BEEEEEP!

The sharp, piercing alarm blared, and Jang Sunam’s face twisted in frustration.

Damn it, did they catch me?

He had thought he was careful. Was someone watching him the entire time?

Jang Sunam tightened his grip on his new weapon, the Goblvic’s halberd, ready to fight.
If stealth failed, then the only option left was brute force.

But then—

「The Goblvic patrol squad has respawned!」
「Take care of them quickly! Don’t be late this time!」
「Damn it, feels like they respawn ten times a day.」

From the tunnel came the shouts of guards. The alarm wasn’t because of him after all.

…So it wasn’t me.

That meant this was an opportunity. While the guards were in chaos, gaps would open in their surveillance. Perfect for him to sneak toward the gate.

Only one guy left to deal with.

Most of the guards had rushed to the opposite end of the tunnel, but one remained at the entrance, keeping watch.

Jang Sunam could easily defeat him—but making noise and revealing his presence was the last thing he wanted.

So instead—

He motioned with his finger.

Click, click.

At his signal, Mini Wave, who had been waiting near the gate, waddled toward him with tiny but quick steps.

Get rid of that one.

Jang Sunam pointed to the guard, and Mini Wave nodded firmly.

Tap, tap, tap…

The little creature toddled right up to the guard’s feet.

Whoosh!

“…Huh?!”

A portal suddenly opened beneath the guard, swallowing him whole.

Thunk.

Mini Wave turned back, flashing a cheeky thumbs-up with its tiny hand.

“Good work.”

Jang Sunam patted its head lightly, then crept closer to the invisible gate.

So, what’s the condition to enter this one?

The gate itself had no visible form, but with his Absolute Map skill, he knew exactly where it was.

Hiding behind an abandoned, sealed car, he waited and watched.

Then, he saw it—
a researcher in a hazmat suit, holding shoes in both hands, walked barefoot into the gate.

So that’s the condition.

“Gates only open when their specific entry condition is met.”

Sometimes it was saying a keyword, other times performing an action, or even following a hidden pattern.
This time, it seemed the condition was walking barefoot while holding your shoes.

Lucky for that guy to find out… must have gotten it from a hint or a dropped memo.

And now, the coast was clear. Everyone else had rushed off to deal with the Goblvics.

Silently, Jang Sunam removed his shoes, held them in his hands, and stepped forward into the invisible gate.

Whoosh!

The scenery shifted instantly.

A vast chamber stretched before him, with doors on all four sides—north, south, east, west.

Ah… one of these kinds of gates.

He had seen this type before—
the “Labyrinth of Doors.”
The only way out was to pick the correct path.

No wonder this place makes a good secret hideout.

Each wrong choice spawned more and more rooms. If you wanted to expand your base, just keep choosing the wrong doors.

As long as you knew the right one, it was perfectly safe.

Please don’t let this be the kind where the door closes behind you…

He checked the door behind him. It opened—revealing the tunnel he came from.
Good. Not the worst kind.

That meant escape would be easy, as long as he remembered the route.

Now came the real problem—
Which path leads to the lab… and to Hong Taegyun?

Jang Sunam hefted the halberd experimentally.

Whoosh… thud!

It was heavy—too heavy.

Inside the gate, his skills were sealed. His body had reverted to ordinary strength.

Forget swinging… I’ll need to rely on thrusts instead.

He examined the three doors. Which one?

Then—

Huh. A mark?

Faint scratches, hidden inside the handle. Someone had carved them as a sign.

Jang Sunam carefully opened the marked door.

Inside stood a man in a hazmat suit, back turned, reviewing documents.

Perfect. I’ll take his clothes.

Quiet as a shadow, Jang Sunam slipped behind him.

Then—

CRACK!

“Ghhkk… ugh!!”

He locked the man in a headlock, silencing him instantly.

That’s the double-edged sword of a gate.

“Inside here, the three-life system doesn’t work. Die once, and you’re done.”

It made fights easier—but it also meant Jang Sunam had to be cautious.

I’ll have Jelly dispose of the body later.

In a gate, corpses didn’t drop items. You had to carry them outside for the loot to appear.

For now, he dragged the body into a wrong room, hid it, and stripped the hazmat suit.

Wearing the stolen gear, he covered his halberd with cloth, pretending it was just baggage. Then he continued onward, always following the scratched-marked doors.

But after dozens of turns—

This is getting confusing…

He grabbed some papers and a pen lying around and sketched a quick map of the path.

After about thirty more doors—finally.

Found it.

A laboratory. Or rather, an experimental chamber.

Chained zombies groaned, while cages of animals filled the space.

So this is how they’re mass-producing the virus.

Researchers drained fluids from zombies, mixed them with animal blood, diluted it with water, and then loaded the concoction into humidifiers to spread the virus into the air.

“SCREEEEECH!!”

Inside glass tubes, mice transformed into zombies within seconds of inhaling the mist.

If I had come any later… it would’ve been too late.

In one corner, he saw stacks of containers—hundreds of barrels filled with crimson liquid.
Mass production had already begun.

If this leaks out all at once…

No vaccine supply could possibly keep up.

Jang Sunam casually swiped some samples—finished virus and a humidifier.

Then, with a sly grin, he placed one by the door.

“Let’s see how you like being infected by your own creation.”

One by one, he set up virus-filled humidifiers at every door.
No one suspected a thing.

Soon, the room would be saturated with the very virus they intended to unleash.

But first—he had to find the key figure.

Hong Taegyun.

He couldn’t kill him yet. Not until he squeezed the information he needed.

There must be something unique to identify him…

Ten researchers bustled around in identical hazmat suits. Their faces hidden, their gestures uniform. Impossible to distinguish.

Damn it. They all look the same.

Then—

“Hong Taegyun-nim.”

A voice called out.

Perfect. Now I’ll know who he is.

Jang Sunam smiled and turned—

But the one being addressed… was him.

A researcher walked over, saluted, and said—

“Hong Taegyun-nim, by tonight we’ll reach the target quota of mass-produced virus.”

…What?

The words stunned him.

He called me… Hong Taegyun?

Only then did Jang Sunam notice—
Unlike the others, his hazmat suit bore a distinctive emblem.

The Baekui Authority’s logo.

“Damn it… don’t tell me I’m wearing the real Hong Taegyun’s suit?!”