35. Pyeongtaek U.S. Military Base. (1)

The helicopter is loud.

Even with earplugs, the noise is so intense that my body shakes.

It feels like a machine gun is firing right next to me.

“Status.”

No one can hear me in this noise, so it doesn’t matter.

After almost a month of hunting in Seo-rae Village, I’m already at level 94.

All my main stats are at 100.

The only ones left are Agility and Intelligence.

I’ve already decided which one to choose next.

Intelligence will likely unlock a new specialization, so the only one left is Agility.

I added 5 points to my 4-point Agility, bringing it to 9, and turned my head.

The status window disappeared from my view.

The helicopter was flying over mountains, fields, and cities at a surprisingly fast speed.

From above, the land, rivers, and mountains seem to move slowly, but when I look away and then look back, the scenery has changed.

More surprisingly, it took less than an hour to reach the Pyeongtaek U.S. military base.

Was it because we flew in a straight line, or is the helicopter just that fast?

Captain Park turned his head from the cockpit and shouted something.

What did he say?

I can’t hear anything.

The only sound in my ears is the helicopter’s propellers.

The deafening roar of the wind is almost making the earplugs useless.

Kwak-kwak-kwak!

Captain Park shouted and gestured towards the front window.

Captain Kim looked outside and waved his hand.

Then, the helicopter tilted and moved to the side.

Ugh, damn.

What’s happening?

In the tilting helicopter, I looked outside.

A long runway came into view.

Large buildings with white roofs lined up next to the runway.

They look like aviation-related facilities.

Next to them, a distinctly American-looking area appeared.

Low-rise apartment buildings, American-style houses, and what looked like schools and shopping streets.

It looks like a typical American town, not a military base.

When I saw photos of military bases in Afghanistan, there were usually Humvees and armored vehicles.

I was expecting something like that, but damn, what is this?

A resort with a swimming pool?

No tanks?

As I was looking around, I noticed something.

Something I missed while admiring the base.

People.

Soldiers in uniform.

And civilians.

They were facing each other across the runway.

They seemed to be aiming…

…guns…

…at each other…

…What the hell?

Why are they aiming guns at each other?

No, more importantly…

Why did they stop gesturing and look up at us?

…Oh my God!

Crazy!

The people down there are aiming guns at us!

I shouted.

“They’re shooting at us!”

The Special Forces member sitting next to me opened his mouth to shout something.

It sounds like he’s saying, “What? I can’t hear you!”

Fuck, how am I supposed to understand?

In the cockpit, Captain Park was looking around and maneuvering the helicopter.

Does he know they’re aiming at us?

It doesn’t matter why they’re shooting at us; the fact that they are is what’s important.

“Land quickly! Land now!”

I shouted as loud as I could, but it was useless.

Kwak-kwak-kwak!

This is driving me crazy, fuck.

The helicopter turned and slowly moved away from the base towards a field.

I looked outside.

I couldn’t see anyone aiming at us.

For now.

But then, I saw something else.

The field was filled with a black mass, like pepper sprinkled everywhere, and they were swarming from all directions.

…A zombie wave.

They were heading towards the U.S. military base.

No, they’ve changed direction and are now heading towards us.

Half are still heading towards the base, and the other half are coming towards us.

“Damn, we’re screwed.”

Really.

I muttered to myself, rubbing my forehead.

Fuck, who knew there would be people at the U.S. military base, and even civilians.

Of course, there would be survivors, but why are they outside?

Fuck, at least set up some barricades!

I don’t know what they were arguing about, but with the zombie wave now attracted to the helicopter, those people are as good as dead.

We’re screwed, fuck.

The helicopter turned again.

I turned my head to look at the cockpit.

What are they planning to do?

Captain Kim in the co-pilot seat shouted something.

Captain Park also shouted and gestured with his hand.

I couldn’t understand what they were saying.

Kwak-kwak-kwak!

From the movement of the scenery, I could tell what Captain Park was planning to do.

He was going to herd the zombie wave and drop them into the river.

That’s his signature move.

I pulled out my phone and opened Google Maps. We were flying towards Pangseong Bridge.

Slowly, very slowly.

Lowering the altitude.

He planned to gather as many zombies as possible and drop them into the river below the bridge.

So, I could watch the zombies crawling into the water in real-time from the sky.

When an earthquake happens, rats go crazy and dive into the water.

It looked almost like that.

After slowly crossing Pangseong Bridge and dropping most of the zombies into the water, Captain Park slowly gained altitude and turned the helicopter.

Then, he slowly flew towards the runway of the U.S. military base.

…Is he planning to land on the runway?

I quickly looked around.

I felt a bit bad for the Special Forces member next to me, but I also looked out the other window.

…There’s nothing but the runway.

The area is wide open, and if even a small zombie wave comes, we’ll be surrounded.

But there are no buildings nearby where we can land the helicopter.

Except for the lake connected to the river, the area is all fields.

Fuck.

Such an open, flat area.

The helicopter slowly landed in the middle of the runway.

Captain Park turned his head sharply and shouted something.

He gestured towards the door.

The Special Forces Leader, Sung Gyu-hyuk, immediately opened the door and got out of the helicopter.

The team members quickly followed, spreading out to the sides.

I also got out of the helicopter.

My hair was whipped around by the wind.

“Kuh!”

The propeller wind felt like it was hitting my head.

The Special Forces members were crouching and moving away from the helicopter.

As I followed them and looked back, I saw Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk standing by the co-pilot seat, talking to Captain Kim.

Fuck, can they even hear each other?

Can they communicate in this noise?

Sung Gyu-huk raised his finger and made a circular gesture.

Then, the helicopter slowly began to take off.

…What?

Take off?!

I stood in an open area with eight Special Forces members, including Sung Ga-yeon, and watched the helicopter slowly rise into the sky.

Sung Gyu-hyuk crouched and ran over.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-

The helicopter flew away.

I grabbed Sung Gyu-hyuk’s shoulder and shouted.

“Where is the helicopter going!”

Sung Gyu-hyuk shouted back.

“We’re going to lead the nearby zombie wave away and return later!”

Return later?

Did I hear that right?

Sung Gyu-hyuk shouted again.

“The helicopter is too obvious a target for the zombie wave! We can’t lose it! We’ll call you when the mission is complete and it’s time to retreat! Do you understand!”

Call us when it’s time to retreat…

Standing on the runway, still feeling the wind carrying the dust, I looked up at the helicopter.

Then, I turned my head.

People were walking out.

Civilians.

Most of them were men.

And they were holding guns.

Sung Gyu-hyuk saw them and shouted.

“Take cover! In the hangar!”

The hangar?

The Special Forces members ran over.

I followed them.

The large white building I saw from above.

That was the hangar.

The hangar’s shutter was tightly closed.

There were probably fighter jets or combat helicopters inside.

As we ran, the helicopter’s sound quickly faded away.

Now, it’s barely audible, like popcorn popping in a microwave.

We took cover in the shadow of the hangar, catching our breath and looking at each other.

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk said to me.

“Seong-hun, did you see from above? Two groups were facing off.”

“Yes, I saw. What’s going on?”

Sung Gyu-hyuk shook his head.

“I’m not sure. They looked like U.S. soldiers and local residents, but we need to find out what happened.”

Sung Gyu-hyuk walked to the wall and peeked out.

Then, he shouted.

“We are the President’s direct government forces! We were dispatched to carry out a special mission! Don’t approach with weapons!”

“Ha!”

A rough voice from the other side laughed sarcastically.

“Government forces?! Where is the government, and where is the military now! If you want to talk, come out!”

Sung Gyu-hyuk shouted.

“We advise you to stop hostile actions immediately! Lower your weapons! This is a warning!”

“We’ll lower our weapons if you put down yours! Come out!”

Sung Gyu-hyuk’s face twisted.

His teeth were bared, and he looked quite irritated.

Hmm.

This might require a show of force.

I put my hand on Sung Gyu-hyuk’s shoulder.

He turned to look at me.

“Let me handle it. Step back for a moment.”

Sung Gyu-hyuk looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I looked down at my hand.

Dalgarim gloves.

And the burning tattoo running from my knuckles to my shoulder.

I gripped my sword and drew it.

Then, I walked out of the hangar, passing Sung Gyu-hyuk.

Swoosh-

The steps of the people on the other side stopped.

There were at least thirty of them.

About ten had firearms.

The rest held crowbars, picks, and shovels.

…Ten with guns.

I’m not sure if this will work.

A middle-aged man with graying hair stepped forward.

A muscular man said,

“Hey, put down what you’re holding. Do you want to die?”

I pointed my sword at him.

“Put down your gun.”

I waggled the tip of my sword.

The man turned back and his face twisted. Then, he started to laugh.

The thirty or so civilians laughed.

The man said,

“I’ll give you one last chance. Put down that sword, kid.”

I shrugged and smiled.

“You don’t need to give me a chance. Why don’t you just shoot?”

The man lowered his head while holding his rifle.

Then, he chuckled.

“There are a lot of people who can’t keep their heads straight. Fine, then.”

He raised his head.

“I warned you clearly.”

The muzzles of the guns were aimed at me.

Sung Gyu-hyuk and Sung Ga-yeon shouted simultaneously.

“Seong-hun!”

At that moment, the man’s gun fired.

[Automatic Cast: Acceleration]

Acceleration activated.