Chapter 18: What Was That Again? (1)

In addition to the rats, Lee Kyungbok encountered various other zombies in the sewer, contrary to Jessica’s claim that all experimental subjects had been disposed of. Zombies with body parts fused from multiple animals blocked his path, but they couldn’t stop him entirely.

-Crunch, crunch, so refreshing! Hee-hee-hee!

-Monkey out!

-Living Points: With two heads, you need to shoot twice for each one.

-I might as well visit a zoo if this is what it’s like.

A zombie with a monkey torso and kangaroo legs collapsed. Feeling control slipping away, Lee Kyungbok realized it must have been the last one.

“John!”

As the cutscene began, Sandra pointed in a specific direction. Illuminated by her flashlight was a ladder.

John immediately turned on his walkie-talkie.

“Jessica, are you there?”

“Yes, yes! I’m here!”

“We found a ladder at the entrance marked L-21. Is this the right place?”

“Ahh! Yes, yes! Please wait, I’ll open it for you shortly!”

The transmission abruptly cut off. However, John and Sandra remained vigilant. Soon after, light shone down from above along with a thumping sound.

“John!”

“You go first. I’ll follow.”

There was always the possibility of zombies appearing, so John let Sandra ascend ahead of him.

-Lololol finallyyyyy…

-Kingping Jessica is here?!

-I can’t help but feel anxious watching this…

-Huh lol did the Cica Clan just get roasted?

-They shook hands as a gesture of reconciliation; there’s no room to intervene, lol

-Shook hands lmao

-This is their first meeting, huh? Lol

-Seems like there might be some tension brewing

Viewers eagerly anticipated the encounter between these two heroines. Just as Sandra reached the top of the ladder:

“Eek!”

A brief scream caught John’s attention.

“Sandra?!” He hastily climbed up the ladder.

-Huh?

-Was it a trap after all?

-Oh boy…

-Did Jessica get discovered on her way here?

In that short span of time, the chat window filled with speculations and questions. However, what John saw at the top was completely unexpected by everyone watching.

“…Sandra?”

They were inside a bright-white isolation chamber. In its center, Sandra had pinned down a woman dressed in a white gown while searching her body with one hand holding a gun.

-LMAO!

-Lol, this is Sandra for you.

-Looks like she got the upper hand! Lol

-Maybe they’re not such a bad pair…?

-Pair my ass! Lol

Unsatisfied, Sandra glared at the back of Jessica’s head before standing up.

“I don’t think you have any dangerous items on you. My apologies.”

“Ugh… You could’ve just said so…” Jessica turned around with a weary voice, and her face came into view. If Sandra was cat-like, then Jessica had more of a puppy vibe. Her long hair shimmered with a bluish tint, she had big eyes, and her skin was as fair as porcelain. The oversized glasses she wore further emphasized her innocent appearance to viewers.

-LMAO…? I like this Jessica!

-Beagles > everything else!

-LOL, you dog lovers don’t know what’s good!

-Still, Honey Clan stays strong!

-Honey Coin is doomed! It’ll crash soon!

-Why farm only one weak BTS member?

-Let’s go polygamous style LOL

-Even Confucian dragons approve of this, y’know?!

While the viewers enthusiastically welcomed their new heroine, Lee Kyungbok couldn’t share their sentiment.

What’s going on here?

Lee Kyungbok had felt uneasy ever since he laid eyes on Jessica.

It’s similar to how I felt when I first met Logan.

However, this sensation was stronger than before. If Logan elicited discomfort akin to the stench of a sewer, Jessica surpassed that feeling by far.

…It feels like seeing the carcass of a dead animal.

As a child, Lee Kyungbok once came across a cat that had been hit and killed by a car. The driver hadn’t bothered to clear away the remains, leaving its body abandoned on the road. He vividly recalled the unease and chills from that moment.

Is she another villain pretending to be virtuous, just like Logan?

Lee Kyungbok decided to keep his thoughts to himself for now. Based on the chat room reactions, it seemed this revelation wasn’t part of the original storyline. He couldn’t risk spoiling anything, so all he could do was observe closely.

“Well, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Jessica—”

“Let’s skip the details due to the urgent situation.”

As Jessica straightened her clothes to introduce herself properly, Sandra suddenly interrupted.

-Sandra Sun! She is under pressure now!

-Our Sandra is showing her fiery temper again~

-I’m embarrassed

-One, two, three! Go, Jessi-chan!

-She’s already cornered, you know~

Jessica stuttered momentarily before giving an awkward laugh and nodding.

“Aha…you’re right about that. Still, I need to explain things.”

She opened the pendant around her neck, revealing a small USB inside.

“What’s that?”

“Evidence. It contains information on Lifenex’s illegal experiments and bio-weapons development.”

”…Bio-weapons?!” John and Sandra’s eyes widened significantly.

Jessica adjusted her glasses, continuing with a serious expression.

“Yes. To send this information outside, we need to go to the highest floor—the director’s office—since that’s the only place with access to communications equipment.”

“But aren’t we underground?”

“That’s right. The regular elevators are too closely monitored, so we have to use the freight elevator. That’s what I used as well.”

“The freight elevator goes all the way up?”

Sandra eyed Jessica skeptically.

Jessica shook her head. “No, not quite. It’ll take us to the sub-basement level where research and development is located. From there, we must climb manually.”

“…It doesn’t sound too difficult, so why don’t you just do it yourself?” Sandra’s sharp retort delighted the viewers.

–Ah~ Sandra Sun! She never lets anything slide!

–She’s fierce! Watch out for her bite!

–Hang in there, JessicaSun!

“There was no gatekeeper on the previous route, right?”

“That’s correct! It isn’t easy now!”

“Still, you need to take a shot!”

“-Did you forget your role as strikers? Ha-ha-ha.”

Jessica slightly frowned. “I was about to explain that anyway. Could you please let me finish?”

“Well then, continue.”

“The director’s office and pharmaceutical development lab have high security clearance levels. Even I can’t access them.”

“But we can?”

“If you two go ahead first, I’ll head to the control room. Once I temporarily cut the power to disable the security system, you can enter those areas.”

After her explanation, Jessica handed John a USB drive.

“It’s just like the original route but with different locations.”

“Does this mean even hidden scenarios lead to similar outcomes?”

“Isn’t it ultimately choosing between Jessica or Sandra at the end?”

-Spoilers beware!

-Don’t forget that GodPagar is watching us!

Some viewers complained about the similarity to previous routes, but the cut scene wasn’t over yet.

“I understand.”

“Yes, then let’s hurry along.”

“Jessica.” John called out to her before she could leave.

-Huh?

-It’s different this time?

-Shhh!

John picked up his knife and slashed at his own hand right in front of Jessica. The wound instantly healed, causing Jessica’s eyes to widen dramatically.

“By any chance…?”

“When did this start happening?” Before he could answer, Jessica grabbed his hand firmly.

“Wait!” Startled, Sandra tried to restrain Jessica, but she easily shook off Sandra’s grip. With a glare, Jessica turned back to John. “Have you ever taken recovery pills or been bitten by a zombie?”

“Jessica?”

“Oh! How about your memories? Are they hazy or unclear?”

“How would you know…?” John’s confusion was mirrored by the sudden shift in tone within the chat window.

LWTF? What is going on all of a sudden?

-Sika…?

-Huh… Something seems off?

-This isn’t the Sika I know!

-Nooo… This isn’t what we meant by breaking out of your shell

Both new viewers and Jessica’s existing fans appeared equally puzzled.

“There does seem to be something strange.” Lee Kyungbok cautiously added his thoughts as well.

Meanwhile, startled, Jessica quickly withdrew her hand.

“Oh! I-I’m sorry. When I get absorbed in something, I tend not to pay attention to my surroundings…” Her behavior echoed their initial encounter, but now both John and Sandra regarded her with suspicion.

“What do you know? What has Lifenex done to me…?”

“The elixir.” Jessica smiled faintly as she stared at John. “You were definitely a subject of the elixir’s clinical trials.”

“…The elixir?”

“It’s Lifenex’s ultimate cure-all. It allows you to recover from any damage and even grants eternal life.” She scanned John up and down, almost hypnotized by him. “This crisis is due to one of its side effects. But there’s no time for this now. Everything changes with your presence here.”

“How so? What do you mean?”

“We need to go deeper, to the laboratory. With you, we can create a perfect vaccine!”

As she quickly moved to grab John, Sandra stepped between them.

“Shut up.” Sandra glared at Jessica and leveled her gun at her. “Do you think I’d let John participate in such a shady experiment?”

Sandra’s intervention reignited the chat room frenzy.

–Knew Dracarys was da best!

–Always trustin’ our Dracarys!

–She speaks her mind! All hail Sandra Cola!

–Jessica’s so gullible.

–She’s lost her marbles lol.

–Leaving Cica Clan now.

However, Jessica didn’t back down. “We don’t have time for this. You know as well as I do that we can only leave here with a vaccine, right? Isn’t that right, John?!”

The camera zoomed in on the faces of the two women locked in confrontation. Suddenly, the view panned away to show warning lights flashing.

The lights flickered off with a hum, and warning lights began flashing red. A loud siren blared in their ears.

[EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT ESCAPED!]

[ALL PERSONNEL IN THE BUILDING MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!]

[THE RESEARCH FACILITY IS NOW UNDER LOCKDOWN!]

More announcements followed amidst screams and gunfire over the speakers.

“Oh my God…” Jessica quickly turned to them. “With this lockdown, the elevators won’t be operational either.”

“What?”

“If you don’t believe me, feel free to check for yourself, but by then, it’ll be too late!” She glanced at Sandra before addressing John. “Our only option now is to escape with the vaccine. Please trust me.”

With a determined look on his face, John took Sandra’s hand firmly.

“John…”

“Sandra, it’s okay. I’ll get us out of here together.”

“Hurry up!”

Jessica led the way, followed closely by John and Sandra as their surroundings faded to black.

-Lol! Now that’s manly.

-Johndra confirmed!

-Haha, sounds like a disease.

-RIP Jessica Coins

-No sign of the black cow yet?

-Boomshakalaka incoming…

-It was more like just a boom, though?

Their vision returned shortly after.

The trio headed toward the stairs following the green emergency lights. As Jessica entered first, Sandra moved to follow her when…

“Sandra!”

John quickly shoved her aside and threw himself to the ground just as the entrance of the stairs collapsed with a loud crash.

-W-wait?

-Escapee experiment maybe?

-Nice one.

Lee Kyungbok shared their sentiment. As soon as the scene changed, his instincts kicked in, stimulating every nerve in his body.

“John?!”

“I’m fine! Go ahead without me!”

The camera panned back to reveal the attacker amidst the red flashing lights. A massive black figure emerged, accompanied by heavy footsteps. It was a grotesque creature with gray skin and steel restraints around its limbs.

-It’s Overlord!

-BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

-I didn’t expect this here! HAHAHA

-LMAO, great fanservice~

–In previous routes, it was just a bloody mess, ha-ha-ha.

–Those bastards sure know how to make games, though.

–Kingbrood is ruthless!

The viewers’ reactions exploded this time around, unlike anything seen before.

What made this boss so special?

For the first time ever, Lee Kyungbok paused his game.

“Is Kingbrood some famous character?” If the audience reacted with such enthusiasm, he felt compelled to learn more about it.

His question triggered another torrent of messages in the chat window.

–You don’t know who Kingbrood is?!

–Are you old? These kids nowadays have no clue about console gaming, huh?

–Oh… Oof…

–Ah, I guess there’s now a generation that doesn’t recognize Kingbrood…

-ROFL. Confirmed old man LOLLL

-Nah, there’s no way I’m an old man!

-What’s Kingbrood?

-Old geezers pretending they don’t know now LMAO

-Info: Overlord is a zombie who has been the final boss of every generation of console game Bio Crisis.

-LOL Old man confirmed.

This was from the era when games were played on PCs and consoles rather than virtual reality. Technically speaking, Lee Kyungbok belonged to that generation, but he had never played any of those games.

-I’m not an old man! Seriously, I’m not!!

-Kingbrood, please… Where did you put your fedora and trench coat…?!

-There you are, RyanKim.

-Are we gonna fight or what?!

-Bring me some vaccine, vaccine, pleeeease…!

“We’re all gonna die at this rate!”

“You sure you aren’t an old man? Because you sound like one.”

The outfit of Overlord from the console version had become a meme after being likened to a character from a popular drama series. Viewers couldn’t help but quote lines from it:

“Oh, I see now. Thanks for the detailed explanation. Then, I’ll be off!”

Lee Kyungbok chuckled at the reference and restarted the game.

In the cut scene that played out again, Overlord stretched his arms. What appeared as muscular limbs suddenly transformed into writhing, sharp blades. The other arm grabbed hold of the wall, ripping through it before morphing into something resembling a hand cannon.

“So is this the final boss?”

-Looks like it?

-LOl, ololol! But how will he win this time?

-Wahhh, lolol! He’s been upgraded again.

-This is getting ridiculous…

-I knew power inflation would be crazy if they dragged out the series too long.

-It doesn’t seem like a gun or shotgun alone can take him down anymore…

The viewers assumed Overlord was the final boss of this arc, just as in previous ones. However, Lee Kyungbok had a different theory.

We still don’t know for sure whether Jessica is truly evil. There’s probably more to come.

He decided to quickly dispatch the Overlord and then chase after Sandra. As soon as the cutscene ended, control returned to him.

“I’m on my way.”

With a thunderous pounding sound, the Overlord charged toward him. Lee Kyungbok swiftly took off running, narrowly avoiding the barrage of debris launched from the Overlord’s hand like buckshot.

-Whew, almost died right at the start.

-Purple’s reflexes are insane!

-I bet Purple could just beat it outright, no problem.

-Right, except for that invincibility skill… LOL

Those familiar with Purple’s abilities anticipated his victory, but they were few and far between. Most viewers were fans of Bio Crisis, having played all versions of the game on various consoles.

-LThe Overlords have no weakness—they’re immune to damage.

-Babies look so cute! LOL

-Ah, you need that to deal with them.

-Yeah, we don’t have that, do we?

-What even is that thing?!

-Can’t say its name ’cause I’m scared of getting banned by GodPahgohan. LOL

-Even KingPurple would struggle here.

-How can this be the final boss if you can take it down with pistols and shotguns?!

As the viewers pointed out…

Lee Kyungbok fired several shots while running but failed to inflict any damage on Overlord. To be precise, Overlord had effortlessly deflected each bullet.

Is he using his body transformation ability to extract bullets? He’s quite tricky.

Kyungbok tumbled and swiftly replaced the magazine. In order to defeat this enemy, he had no choice but to aim for its weakness.

The problem is, its weakness seems to be inside those shackles.

He’d pinpointed the vulnerability as soon as they first met, thanks to his keen intuition.

–The devs should be proud!

–Purple’s having trouble for the first time!

–Find your weapon, Purple!

–Who asked you? Mind your own business!

–First-ever rage quit?

Lee Kyungbok sneered as he glanced at the chat window passing by. This was hardly looking “perfect” now, wasn’t it?

“I think I know where its weakness lies. First, let’s get rid of those chains.” He made this announcement while dodging debris amid loud explosions. His viewers agreed with his assessment.

-LOL! It’d be weird if we didn’t know its weakness.

-Dude, something fishy is going on here~LL

-But how do we remove them?

-Yeah, bring over that toolbox, rookie!

-Screwdriver… We need a really big screwdriver.

-Why did you say screwdriver? LOL

-I guess farming items while waiting for the cooldown makes sense.

The chat window filled with jokes and speculations, but Lee Kyungbok had no intention of paying attention to any of it.

“Let’s start by removing these shackles.”

This comment flooded the chat with question marks. As usual, Lee Kyungbok chose to demonstrate rather than explain. He focused all his senses and instincts on one point as they sharpened according to his will.

Now.

Lee Kyungbok pulled the trigger as if it were second nature. Without waiting for confirmation of the result, he immediately fired again several times in quick succession. Sparks flew alongside the metallic clangs, and after repeated hits, the joint connecting Overlord’s shackles snapped off.

The heavy clunk of the fallen chains echoed loudly, revealing the pulsating dark-red nucleus at the center of Overlord’s chest—the creature’s weakness.

This was Overlord’s weakness.

-???????????

-Zgoyo?

-What is this?!

-Did someone hit it again just now?

The shock was palpable even through the chat window.

-Overlord’s weak spot revealed!

-LOL! Time for another nerf patch!

-Overlord: It’s just like that one game, Purple!

-But isn’t “Purple” spelled with an F?

-BREAKING NEWS: The Royal Society of London announces correct spelling of “physical” as “purple.”

Cheers erupted immediately after. Once Overlord’s vulnerability had been exposed, the mood shifted drastically.

“We don’t need to run or farm anymore.” Lee Kyungbok grinned. “It’s not that strong after all.”