Chapter 24: Bomb Specialist I (1/2)

I think I'm the world's first bomb specialist.

It was 1937, mid-June.

It was a hot summer and I was a hunter stationed in the southern face of Beiping.

My family lived close to the forest outside of Beiping City.

In order to hunt better, I chose that location, which coincidentally saved me from some troubles.

Because it was that year that the ghosts invaded Beiping.

Everyone in the city was captured by the ghosts and the government couldn't do anything to save the people.

And because I was outside the city, I had been unaware of the situation inside until a fleeing woman informed me.

She was carrying her child and relayed the story to me hysterically.

I couldn't remember most of them except for the fact that the ghosts were killing humans and setting the city on fire.

They plundered shops and houses and defiled every woman they saw.

The woman said that she and her son were the only ones who managed to escape out of the four generations of her family that was living together.

She also said that the city was about to be emptied out and the ghosts would soon reach my area.

She told me to flee with her but I refused.

Run? I had a family.

I thanked her for the warning and waved her on.

She rolled her eyes at me, looking at me like I was already a dead man walking.

She then ran wildly, further up south, with her child.

I took my hunting gun, entered my house and hid in a corner.

Ghosts?

I was interested to see if they were humans or ghosts.

I set an animal trap on the ground in front of the door.

Shortly after, I heard strange sounds coming from outside.

They seemed to be talking but I couldn't understand their accent at all.

Grumbling and mumbling… these must be the ghosts that the woman was talking about.

I s.h.i.+fted to the windows and in a half-squat position, used my finger to break a small hole in the protective paper.

I peeked through it and saw two soldiers in camel-colored uniforms.

They each had a long gun in their hands and were searching the area outside my house.

Judging from their pace, they were going to come in very soon.

I turned and half-squatted behind a room door.

I disabled the safety lock on my gun and got into position.

The footsteps of the two ghosts came increasingly close.

Dang!

The ghosts must have used their guns to knock against the door.

Bang!

They kicked the door down and I held my breath.

I've killed many animals in my life but not humans.

The first ghost came in and an anguished wail followed soon after.

He had stepped on the animal trap.

I raised my hunting gun and took aim at the ghost's head.

I knew that they were the ones who invaded us. I knew that they're the ones who wiped the entire city out.

I would be killing someone if I pull the trigger.

One second.

Two seconds.

The ghost shouted, pulling me back to my senses.

We locked eyes and suddenly, he raised the gun in his hands toward my face, yelling, ”Baka!”

In the next breath, I pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet shot through his hat and into his head but it wasn't powerful enough to pierce through his skull.

He must've survived that blow since he did not stop moving.

He screamed as he fired a shot and I dodged it before smas.h.i.+ng my hunting gun against his head.

He fell to the ground, motionless. I've killed someone.

But if I didn't kill him, he would've killed me.

The ghost outside ran over upon hearing the commotion.

Cautious, the ghost called out a few times but gained no response.

He started firing at my house.

One shot, two shots.

Their gun was evidently much more powerful than mine.

I hid in the innermost room, waiting for the right opportunity.

I took out the second bullet from my pocket and inserted it into my gun.

After eight shots, I figured the ghost wouldn't stop.

On the ninth shot, I screamed.

I wanted to mislead him into thinking that he got me. It seemed to work.