Season 3: Chapter 9: Sandwich (3)
Everything went well until Class 3 started running back up the basement stairs.
"Class 3 is breaking through from the basement! Are they crazy!? What is this!?"
"This is the power of organization! The ball possession soccer that Almond dislikes!"
— LOL.
— How is this ball possession? LOL.
— Here, the ball refers to IronBall (Bubblegum). Lower possession rate is advantageous.
With the hope and determination that passing through that area meant their survival, that energy momentarily turned the Class 3 students into monsters.
However—
"Huh...!?"
"Ah, they've run into Class 5! This... they don't look friendly at all, do they?!"
"Yes. It seems like a fight might break out soon?"
"And Almond isn't in good condition right now."
They ran into Class 5 when Almond's condition was not very good.
"If you're a combat class, you need to conserve energy if there's no food. They burn calories quickly because they have a high metabolism!"
Almond, being a combat class character, had a much faster energy consumption rate than the other kids. It wouldn't matter if they had enough food, but Class 3 had been starving so far.
"Wait, is Bubblegum trying to do something right now?"
***
"Are they really heading to the bathroom?"
"Oh..."
Class 3 couldn't hide their disappointment after escaping the basement stairs.
"Let's go up."
They moved forward, thinking the best they could do at the moment was to get through the stairs. It seemed even that wasn't allowed as a shadow blocked their way.
Someone stood at the entrance of the stairs.
"Oh... who are you guys?"
It was Kim Jin-Hyeok, the acting leader of Class 5. He smirked at them.
Kim Jin-Hyeok was quite perceptive and pointed behind him with his thumb.
"Trying to go in here?"
"We, we were originally there first."
Dae-Hyeok's voice, incongruent with his size, sounded submissive.
"You were there first?"
"Yes, that's right..."
"And why did you leave? Did you want to go to the basement?"
Kim Jin-Hyeok scrutinized them with his eyes wide open.
"Trying to go to the snack bar?"
"..."
Wanting to go to the snack bar was a natural desire in this situation, but it was hard to admit that to Kim Jin-Hyeok.
"It's blocked down there, isn't it?"
"... Yes."
"So you're going back to the bathroom? After we cleared all the zombies and saved you?"
"... We, we killed a lot too? Can't you see over there?"
Kim Jin-Hyeok slyly tiptoed and peeked over Dae-Hyeok's shoulder. Regrettably, it was too dark for Jin-Hyeok to see anything.
"Hmm. Let's assume that's true."
"... What?"
"But we did save you, didn't we?" Kim Jin-Hyeok continued, "You guys would have all died without us, right? At the end, I mean."
"..."
He was right. It would not have been strange if they had all been annihilated by the zombie Song Gi-Tae.
"Right. I saw it all~."
Park Ji-Yeon, the only girl on Bubblegum's blacklist, also came forward and agreed. The girls from Class 3 flinched and hid behind her.
Meanwhile, Dae-Hyeok stepped forward.
"Yeah, thanks for saving us. But can you save us one more time? Let's go to the bathroom together. We don't want to die either," Dae-Hyeok shamelessly pleaded.
The survival of Class 3 was at stake.
"Hmm..." Kim Jin-Hyeok pretended to ponder and readily agreed. "Alright. We can go in together. Can't just let you die."
What was the catch? Surely, he wouldn't just let them without a reason. He wouldn't kill them for now at least. They'd deal with his ulterior motives later.
Just as they were about to move forward—
Snap.
Kim Jin-Hyeok blocked the way with a mop handle.
"My friend... but..." Kim Jin-Hyeok grinned and asked, "Isn't your group infected?"
The broadcasters sighed, "Oh~ there it is? The murder forecast skill. Aren't you infected!?"
— LOL LOL LOL for real!
— This is a sure deal, seriously.
— Basically calling for a slaughter.
— It's done...
"Yes. They have a lot of scratches and are bleeding. This makes it difficult to refute. It's easy to prove if you've been bitten, but hard to prove if you haven't."
"You can't strip naked to prove it either!"
Kim Jin-Hyeok and Class 5 never intended to let those from the basement stairs join them.
"What? No! If we were bitten, we would have changed long ago!"
"People vary in how long it takes. Viruses have different incubation periods," someone with a sharp tone intervened.
It was Kim Mango from the back.
"Mango?"
"I'll handle this, Jin-Hyeok."
"... Well, okay. You do talk well."
Kim Jin-Hyeok shrugged and stepped back.
Kim Mango looked down at Class 3 and continued, "Prove that you haven't been bitten. Otherwise, we'll consider it an attack on us."
'What is he saying?'
Almond wanted to say something, but his character was too exhausted to speak.
[Hunger]
[Exhaustion]
His condition rapidly worsened.
Someone from Class 3 asked in his place. It was Ui-Joon with an aggressive expression.
"Are you asking us to strip right here?"
Kim Mango turned toward him and nodded.
"If that's what it takes to prove it."
"All of us strip?"
"Yes. Everyone."
— Breaking news: Almond's R-rated photo shoot!
— I'm on Kim Mango's side haha.
— If anyone quickly sets up a tribute for Miho, thumbs up LOL LOL.
Kim Mango continued his claim unabashedly without a change in expression.
"Compared to the risk of zombies appearing from the bathroom, stripping is nothing. Those clothes need washing anyway."
His words were technically correct, but his intentions were too obvious.
"This is to completely imprint a hierarchy by making them strip. If we comply with Class 5's extreme demands, it naturally implies that they are above them…"
"Ah, I see?! This... Class 3's morale is completely down now."
"I, I don't want to... strip..."
"Me neither. How can you ask us to strip in front of you?! You pervert! Forget it! Let's just go somewhere else."
The girls snapped first.
Kim Mango responded without changing his gaze, "We have girls too. They can inspect you."
He raised his wristwatch.
"If we waste any more time here, we'll go inside and lock the door instead. You never know when more zombies might come."
"Is that so?" Ui-Joon spoke as he climbed the stairs. "Then move aside. We're going to the classroom."
"!"
The expressions of the kids behind him brightened.
"Hey. Now that you mention it, aren't all the zombies in this hallway dead?"
"Right. We were actually planning to go to the classroom anyway."
Kim Mango apparently hadn't considered that they would want to go to the classroom.
'Classroom?'
He had planned to pressure them with infection checks to create a pretext and use the kids from Class 3 as minions like before.
"Move, will you?"
Kim Mango and Kim Jin-Hyeok did not move from the stairs.
Kim Mango made a decision.
"No. You can't go to the classroom."
"What?"
"We can't let an infected person wander around the main building. Just submit to the inspection."
He applied even more intense pressure.
"This guy is totally crazy!?" one fierce-looking girl shouted.
"Hey. You just want to see us naked, don't you? You crazy bastard. Think you're a king or something!?"
"Hey! Watch your language?" Kim Jin-Hyeok and his friends growled back.
"There's nothing weird about it."
Kim Mango casually pointed behind him.
"Those guys were all checked too. They're from Class 3."
He was pointing at Bubblegum.
"Eek."
Bubblegum, whispering strategies, suddenly looked startled when they pointed him out.
"Now that you mention it, what class are you guys from?"
"We're asking you guys right now. Aren't you listening?"
Kim Mango would treat them the same if he realized they were also from Class 3.
Almond and Bubblegum's eyes met.
'Now.'
They never spoke, but shared the same thought.
A clueless student spoke out at that moment, "We're also from Class 3—"
A booming cry drowned out everything else, "Class 3!!!"
Kwang!
The bathroom door swung open and Bubblegum rushed out in perfect formation with the other kids.
BubbleGum raised his desk and shouted, "Now is the time!!!"
Yes, they had been waiting for this moment. The perfect chance for a rebellion.
— !!!
— Cheerful rebellion!
— Holy Bubblegum?!??
— Crazy LOL.
— Wow, Bubblegum is actually kinda cool right now, LOL.
"Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
They roared like thunder. It seemed unbelievable coming from just nine kids. The rest of Class 3, realizing the situation, also rushed over.
"Fuck it! Kill themmmmm!!"
"These bastards tried to kill us!"
"Damn bastards!"
Making normally good NPCs show aggression toward others was quite a challenge, but the Class 5 gang had caused this with their constant bullying.
For the first time since getting through the basement stairs, Almond's expression brightened.
'Bubblegum bro...!'
Bubblegum also led them and raised their morale again. He had endured many humiliations while maintaining camaraderie with Class 3 and planning this rebellion.
"Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
The first kids from Class 3 by the bathroom started swinging their mops and desks with a powerful cheer.
Thump! Kwang!
"What, what are these guys—!?"
"Argh!"
"Ah, ack?!"
They knocked down the unprepared rear of Class 5. Having mostly Class 3 serve as meat shields actually worked to their advantage because many of them were holding desks. In such a brawl, shields reigned supreme.
Of course, the bullies from Class 5 also retaliated immediately.
"Minions, my ass!"
However, their eyes told a different story. They still spat out harsh words, but their eyes were shaking.
"Die! You bully bastards!"
Oh Ji-Hoon led from the front and crushed one of the bully gang members.
Crack!
"Argh...!"
His eyes rolled back and he foamed at the mouth before collapsing. It was too pathetic for someone who acted like royalty in the classroom.
Everyone realized then that Bubblegum was shouting the truth.
"The world has changed, you fools!"
The kids' morale soared even higher.
"The cheerful rebellion of the nerds!"
"Players entering~!"
"Fuck it. Let's go in like Hollywood!!!"
— Avengers assemble LOL LOL.
— LOL LOL LOL.
— That damn "Players entering" LOL.
— Oh Ji-Hoon, so likable LOL LOL.
— Oh Ji-Hoon~~~ kinda cool!
The Class 3 students coming up from the basement stairs also had a morale spike.
"Us too! Let's hit themmmm! Kill these fucking bastards!"
"Let's gooooooooo!!!"
It was a pincer attack with them covering both flanks of Class 5. Even a small force could have tremendous power in such a case.
"What, what! Block the back! Block the back!"
"Argh!"
Whether they blocked the front or the back, Class 5 was in utter chaos. Class 3 had literally sandwiched them from both sides.
'FUCK!'
Kim Mango's usually calm expression wavered.
***
[Beginner's Tip: Children can sometimes be crueler than adults.]