30. Special Forces. (1)

“They’ve gone missing. We don’t know for sure if Team 1 was completely wiped out, but the circumstances suggest that they were. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I nodded and said,

“Is the leader of Team 2 still there? I remember his name was Sung… Ah, Sung Gyu-hyuk. Was he not also missing?”

“The other teams have not yet been deployed.”

Other teams…

So there are more than just Team 2.

But they lack weapons.

How did that happen?

If they were soldiers who escaped from their units and survived, they should have been equipped with some weapons, but they only had two pistols and two rifles.

…I have a hunch.

“Excuse me, but are the current special forces members still active military personnel?”

Secretary An Jun-gyu answered,

“Only two are active. One of them is the one who went missing.”

Right.

It makes sense that they are former soldiers who rejoined after being discharged and living as civilians.

They must have gone out to find the government or the military after the outbreak, and the fact that they managed to join without dying on the way shows they are well-trained warriors.

Those with families would have found it difficult to leave and join, so most of them are probably single men who were working somewhere after being discharged.

They have the will to fight, but they lack weapons.

That’s the situation these warriors are in.

I nodded and said,

“I understand. I’ll join.”

Secretary An Jun-gyu let out a soft sigh and said,

“You’ve made a good decision. I look forward to meeting you. You’ll hear from us soon.”

“Yes, see you later.”

I hung up the call.

Warriors and weapons…

Depending on who they are, forming an alliance with a well-trained group of warriors will certainly make it easier to navigate this apocalypse.

I’m not the only one who needs to find their family.

Everyone is worried about their loved ones.

I, we, and they.

Forming an alliance and building a force isn’t a bad idea.

I picked up the bow from the floor.

“We’ll see what kind of people they are.”

I nocked an arrow, aimed down, and drew the bow.

Whoosh-

“Until now.”

I whispered and released the string.

Thwip.

The arrow, whistling through the air, pierced the head of a human beast.

The red light disappeared.

Phew.

I exhaled and picked up another arrow.

“They don’t look too bad.”

They are definitely different from cockroaches.

While I was shooting arrows, the phone rang.

An unknown number.

And it was a video call.

…What is it?

I put down the bow and answered the call.

My eyes widened.

On the other end of the call, in the video, was an elderly man.

“You are…”

Before I could finish, he smiled and said,

“Hello, Mr. Han Seong-hun. I am President Min Jeong-woo of the Republic of Korea.”

Is this real?

It’s really the president.

I narrowed my eyes and said,

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Han Seong-hun.”

He looks haggard.

He hasn’t been eating well.

President Min Jeong-woo smiled and said,

“These days, it’s hard to casually call oneself the President of the Republic of Korea. I’ve heard that you’ve been taking care of people and doing a great job.”

“Thank you.”

I’ve always hated politics, but meeting the president in person is a different experience.

President Min Jeong-woo said,

“How are you? Are you eating well? Are the people with you healthy?”

“Yes, we’re fine.”

I took a deep breath and gestured downward with my head.

“There’s a supermarket downstairs, so we have no problem with food and clothing. How about you?”

President Min Jeong-woo smiled.

He looks kind.

“That’s fortunate. As long as there are people and someone like Mr. Han Seong-hun, we still have hope.”

He didn’t mention his own situation.

It must be tough.

Seeing this kind, elderly man looking so haggard makes me feel bad.

President Min Jeong-woo said,

“I heard from the Secretary that you’ve decided to join us and that you want to find your family.”

“That’s correct.”

The president nodded and said solemnly,

“I don’t know how all of this happened, but Mr. Seong-hun, don’t lose hope. I hope you find your family. We’ll do our best to help you, and I hope you can help us as well.”

I nodded.

“I understand.”

President Min Jeong-woo smiled faintly.

“I look forward to meeting you.”

“Yes.”

The call ended.

“Phew…”

The president…

The background behind him didn’t look like any office.

It just looked like a regular home.

It’s not spacious, and it looks more like a motel room than a place where the president should be.

Not the Blue House, then.

The First Lady wasn’t there either.

Did he get caught?

Or did he change?

I lit a cigarette and looked at my phone.

The apocalypse has taken everything away.

Even the president is not an exception.

It’s a bit disheartening.

Still, he’s the President of the Republic of Korea, so he should be in a more impressive place.

I know intellectually that everyone, including the military and command structure, has been wiped out, leaving only survivor groups.

But deep down, I had hoped that there would still be a proper military and command structure to resolve this zombie wave and return to normal life.

I had hoped to help with my abilities in the process.

Seeing the president in such a state makes it even more hopeless.

He said he hopes for my help, but it’s probably just words.

He’s only seen a video, so how could he really believe that I can do anything?

It also means he’s desperate.

By the time I finished the cigarette, the phone rang again.

A saved number.

[Special Forces Team 2 Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk]

Hmm.

The president must have reported to him, so it’s time for the special forces leader to contact me.

I answered the call.

“Yes, this is Han Seong-hun.”

“This is Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk. I just heard from the President that you’ve decided to join us.”

I smiled and picked up the bow.

“That’s right. Let’s do our best.”

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk let out a soft sigh and said,

“Mr. Han Seong-hun, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way. I still don’t trust you. The video also seems like it could be fake.”

Hmm.

He’s honest.

I wouldn’t trust me either with just a video.

Who would believe a video on YouTube and start searching for the person?

Given the urgency, they probably found me hoping I wasn’t a scammer.

In that sense, Sung Gyu-hyuk is quite honest.

I confirmed his rational thinking from our previous call.

I smiled.

“The important thing isn’t whether you trust me.”

“What do you mean?”

“The important thing is securing weapons, not whether you trust me.”

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk didn’t respond, seemingly at a loss for words.

I continued,

“The conditions are the same as before. I’ll go in alone. There will be no risk to your team. After I’m done, half the weapons will be delivered by helicopter to the rooftop of this building for our people.”

We can’t leave the weapons on the street, where they might be discovered by zombies and put my people, including my women, at risk.

Moreover, if there are hundreds of weapons, it would be too much for me to carry alone.

Going out to farm with my people would also be too risky.

Transporting by helicopter is the best option.

And the fact that they gathered to save people shows they deserve to have weapons.

I said,

“There’s no need to trust me during the process.”

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk replied,

“I understand your point. Our conditions are the same. If you fail, there will be no rescue operation.”

I smiled.

“Alright, let’s do it that way.”

Rescue operation…

I frowned and asked,

“I heard that Team 1 went missing. Are you not planning a rescue operation for them?”

“No, we’re not.”

Hmm.

He’s decisive.

It seems the conditions are fair for everyone.

I nodded and said,

“How did they go missing? Even with limited weapons, they are a special forces unit.”

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk took a deep breath and slowly said,

“Team 1’s mission was to infiltrate the armory. They were discovered and fired their weapons. After that, they went missing.”

Hmm.

If they fired their weapons, the surrounding creatures would have been provoked and swarmed them.

With hundreds of creatures attacking from all sides, it would be impossible to survive, especially since headshots are required to kill them.

“Have you heard any news of them being alive?”

“No, we haven’t.”

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk sighed.

“They were aware of the risks. They knew they might not be rescued. They went on the mission, and they failed. That’s all. Please don’t ask any more.”

I nodded.

It seems he had someone close in Team 1.

I can sense his distress.

“I understand. Let’s proceed with the joining. Let’s try to carry out the mission as soon as possible.”

“Yes, at 0500 hours today. The helicopter will be dispatched. That’s all.”

The call ended.

Hmm.

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk…

I don’t know why, but I like him.

He gives off a professional vibe.

I smiled and picked up an arrow.

Well,

A new day begins with the sunrise.

I looked at the bright moon still in the sky and nocked an arrow.