The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 69: The Firehouse

The streets stretched out ahead of them, quiet, unmoving. The school gates creaked as they swung shut behind the group, and just like that, they were back in the open.

Jin took the lead, his steps steady, focused. The others followed in a loose formation, their eyes shifting between the empty buildings, the abandoned cars, the city that no longer felt like a city.

The world wasn't destroyed. It wasn't in ruins. It was just... silent.

A few blocks in, Echo exhaled sharply. "You ever notice how much louder your footsteps sound when there's no other noise?"

Areum glanced around, her fingers flexing at her sides. "You're only noticing that now?"

"It's just weird." Echo kicked a stray bottle on the sidewalk. It clattered too loudly against the pavement, the sound echoing down the street. He winced. "See? That's unsettling."

"Then maybe don't do that," Daehyun muttered, rolling his shoulders.

Jin ignored them, keeping his pace steady. He knew what Echo meant. The silence wasn't just quiet—it was heavy. A kind of weight that pressed against his skin, like the city itself was holding its breath.

Two weeks ago, these streets would have been alive.

Cars honking. People talking on their phones. Music leaking from store speakers.

Now, the only thing left of that world was the occasional faded footprint in the dust.

Joon had joked once that this was like walking through a game world before the NPCs loaded in. Jin didn't find it funny then. He found it even less funny now.

He checked the map in his interface. The fire station was still a ways off, but it wasn't a bad walk. They just had to stay alert.

He spoke without looking back. "We go in, check for anything useful, then head back. We're not taking any risks today."

Haneul nodded, gripping his staff a little tighter. "So just a scouting run?"

"Yeah." Jin's gaze swept the street ahead. "If we find monsters, we kill them. But we're not going out of our way looking for fights."

Daehyun smirked. "What, not in the mood for a boss battle today?"

Jin didn't answer. He had a feeling they'd get one whether they wanted it or not.

They kept moving.

They passed a small corner store, its glass door hanging half-open. Inside, the shelves were still stocked. Chips. Instant ramen. Canned goods.

"That's weird," Areum muttered.

Echo raised an eyebrow. "What, the apocalyptic 7-Eleven?"

Areum shook her head. "No. That it's untouched."

She was right. Most places had been picked clean by now.

Jin stopped at the entrance, scanning the interior. The lights were off, but the further-in shelves were completely dark. Too dark. Like the shadows were swallowing them whole.

His instincts twisted.

"...We're not stopping here," he decided, stepping past it.

No one argued.

The further they walked, the more signs of life they saw—but not in the way they wanted.

An overturned delivery truck sat in the middle of an intersection. Its back doors were wide open, half of its cargo spilled onto the road.

A trail of dried blood led away from the driver's seat, disappearing into a side alley.

No body.

No tracks.

Just emptiness.

Daehyun let out a slow breath. "Guess they didn't make it."

Areum's jaw tightened, but she didn't say anything.

A gust of wind blew through the street, picking up scraps of paper, sending them skidding across the pavement.

One of them slapped against Haneul's boot. He bent down, peeling it off.

A Missing Person flyer.

The ink was smudged, fading. A man's face stared back at them, his name printed beneath it. The words "Disappeared on the First Day" stood out in bold.

Haneul's fingers curled around the edges of the paper. He glanced toward a telephone pole a few feet away.

It was covered in them.

Jin stepped closer, his eyes scanning the dozens of faces staring back at him.

Some of the papers were taped neatly. Others were crooked, hastily stapled or nailed in place.

Some had handwritten notes at the bottom.

"Please call if you see him."

"Last seen near Han River before everything shut down."

"Mom, if you're still out there, we're at the apartment—"

The rest of the sentence was smudged, the ink streaked from what looked like rain.

Haneul swallowed. "You think any of them are still alive?"

No one answered.

Because none of them wanted to say it.

Jin turned away first. "Let's keep moving."

They followed without another word.

A few minutes later, they crossed into a new district, where the buildings stretched higher, blocking out more of the sky.

Then, for the first time in days—

They saw someone.

A figure stood at the far end of the street, leaning against a broken vending machine.

A survivor.

They weren't scavenging, weren't looting. Just standing there, watching them.

Haneul tensed, shifting his stance slightly.

Jin didn't move. Didn't wave. Just watched.

The figure met his gaze for three long seconds.

Then—they turned and walked away.

Not in a hurry. Not scared. Just disinterested.

Echo blinked. "...Well, that was weird."

Areum exhaled. "Guess we're not the only ones still out here."

Jin watched until the person disappeared behind a side street. No words. No signals. Just gone.

Daehyun rolled his shoulders. "Think they were a threat?"

"Didn't look like it," Jin murmured. "But that doesn't mean they weren't."

Haneul was still staring at the corner where they had vanished.

Jin turned back to the road ahead. "Come on. We're close."

The fire station was still a few blocks away.

But the city wasn't as empty as they thought.

Jin took the lead again, his pace steady as they moved deeper into the district. The buildings around them stood tall and silent, their glass windows reflecting the late afternoon sun. It should have made the streets feel brighter, warmer even—but the light didn't make the city feel any less empty. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

They walked in silence for a while, the only sounds the faint scuff of their boots against the pavement and the occasional rustle of wind through broken signs. The encounter with the stranger still lingered in the back of Jin's mind.

Not their presence—but how they reacted.

No fear. No desperation. Just indifference.

It was hard to tell what that meant.

Were they part of a group? Did they have supplies? Had they already given up on interacting with others?

Or were they waiting for something?

Jin shook the thought away. Didn't matter right now.

"You think we should've stopped them?" Echo asked casually, hands in his pockets as he walked beside him. "Could've asked some questions."

"If they wanted to talk," Jin said, "they wouldn't have walked away."

Echo hummed. "Maybe they just don't like your face."

Daehyun snorted. "Can't blame them."

Jin ignored them both, glancing at the map again. They were almost at the firehouse. Just a few more turns.

They passed another intersection, moving past a gas station that looked almost completely untouched.

Areum slowed, glancing toward the entrance. "That place still has stock," she murmured.

She was right. From the outside, the shelves looked full. Bottles of water, canned food, even medical supplies. More than they had at the school.

Too much.

Echo raised an eyebrow. "Anyone else think it's weird that we keep finding places that haven't been looted?"

Jin nodded. "Yeah."

Haneul frowned. "Think it's a trap?"

"Could be," Jin said. "Or it could be something worse."

Daehyun let out a slow exhale. "You ever notice how we say things like that now? 'Could be a trap. Could be something worse.' Like those are normal sentences?"

Areum pulled her gloves tighter, her gaze still on the gas station. "Give it a few more weeks. It will be."

Jin made a note of the location in his interface. "We'll check it out another day. Not now."

No one argued.

They kept walking, leaving the gas station behind.

It wasn't until they passed the next block that Jin felt it again—the prickle at the back of his neck.

Like someone's eyes were on him.

It was different from before. Not like the stranger at the vending machine. This was closer. More immediate.

He didn't stop walking, didn't turn his head. Instead, he kept moving like nothing was wrong, his voice calm when he spoke.

"Haneul," he said.

The younger boy's posture stiffened slightly, but his voice was steady. "Yeah?"

"You feel that?"

A beat of silence. Then—

"Yeah."

Jin exhaled slowly. "How long?"

"Since the last turn," Haneul murmured.

Areum and Daehyun both tensed slightly.

Echo sighed, shaking his head. "So we're being watched. Again."

Daehyun rolled his shoulders. "Let them watch."

Areum's fingers twitched at her sides. "Or let's find out who it is."

Jin kept his pace even, scanning the reflections in the glass windows they passed. Nothing.

Whoever was following them was either smart enough to stay hidden—or skilled enough to move without being seen.

"Not yet," Jin muttered. "We don't engage unless they make a move."

"Great," Echo said. "Love being in a game of hide and seek with a mystery stalker."

They walked another block. The presence didn't fade.

And then—something shifted.

Jin heard it first. A faint sound, almost imperceptible.

Not footsteps. Not breathing.

Something... dragging.

From above.

Jin's gaze snapped to the rooftops.

For just a fraction of a second, something moved.

A blur of shadow, shifting unnaturally fast, disappearing before he could fully process it.

His grip on his gloves tightened.

"Go faster," he ordered.

The group didn't question it. They picked up the pace, moving swiftly down the street.

Jin's pulse stayed steady, but his mind was already running through possibilities. They were being followed. But by what?

He didn't hear footsteps. Didn't feel the presence of another person.

Whatever it was—it wasn't human.

They turned the final corner.

The firehouse stood at the end of the block.

Large. Still.

The garage door was slightly open, just enough for someone to slip through.

Everything about it looked untouched. No shattered glass. No damage.

No signs of a struggle.

But the feeling didn't go away.

If anything—it got worse.

Areum let out a slow breath. "That's... unsettling."

"Yup," Echo muttered.

They stopped a few feet from the entrance.

Jin turned slightly, eyes scanning the rooftops one last time.

Nothing.

The presence was gone.

Daehyun let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Looks like whatever it was lost interest."

Jin didn't respond.

Because he didn't believe that.

The fire station loomed before them, silent and waiting.

And Jin had the distinct feeling that whatever had been watching them—was already inside.