36. What’s in the East Sea. (2)

“Nuclear carrier…”

A voice that sounded more like a groan.

It doesn’t sound like my own voice.

Sung Ga-yeon turned to me and whispered,

“Seong-hun, what should we do? It seems unlikely they will cooperate. Should we contact the President?”

“The Special Forces Leader is probably already doing that.”

“Ah.”

Sung Ga-yeon nodded in understanding.

Right.

The Special Forces Leader isn’t the type to just stand outside smoking cigarettes and passing time.

He must already be reporting the situation.

At that moment, the U.S. commander said something.

I turned to Sung Ga-yeon.

She asked me,

“You mentioned the government, so I assume the President is safe. Given the situation, it’s hard to offer congratulations. You said you came to Camp Humphreys to carry out a special mission. What is your mission?”

Hmm…

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

How should I say this?

If I’m not careful, I might end up in the same position as the local survivor groups.

I thought for a moment and then said,

“We thought this base would be empty. We expected to supplement the firepower needed to reclaim Korea and rescue people here.”

The U.S. commander smiled wryly and said,

“You must be disappointed that we’re still here.”

Hmm.

How cynical.

I shook my head.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m relieved to see that many people are still alive in Pyeongtaek. How many survivors are there?”

“Many have died.”

Sung Ga-yeon translated the U.S. commander’s words.

“Very few officers have families that survived intact. Many enlisted soldiers have also been affected. Approximately four hundred remain.”

Sung Ga-yeon looked slightly surprised and asked something.

The U.S. commander answered, but I didn’t understand what he meant.

Sung Ga-yeon whispered to me,

“There were about thirty thousand people here, including non-combatants and civilians. They said they were all killed.”

Hmm…

The young commander in front of me.

He said he had to shoot his own superior with his own hands.

He survived by killing his comrades and family members he had trained and eaten with.

Everyone is in a similar situation these days.

But four hundred…

That’s quite a number.

Our large supermarket group and Seo-rae Village group combined wouldn’t even be half of that.

While I was thinking this, the U.S. commander spoke.

“Thank you for coming all this way. Surviving in such a difficult time is a blessing. However, I hope you understand that we must give you the same answer we gave the local residents. We cannot provide you with anything.”

While Sung Ga-yeon was translating, the U.S. commander took a brown cigar from his upper pocket, cut it with a cutter, and lit it.

It’s a signal that the meeting is ending.

After Sung Ga-yeon finished translating, the U.S. commander nodded at the young U.S. soldiers standing behind us.

The U.S. soldiers approached.

I said,

“I have one more question.”

Sung Ga-yeon translated.

The U.S. commander looked at me silently.

I crossed my arms and asked,

“It’s been two months since the apocalypse. But you’re still here. The nuclear carrier is still in the East Sea, yet you haven’t moved. Why?”

Sung Ga-yeon stared at me intently.

Why is she looking at me like that?

Her gaze is peculiar.

Then I realized.

I had never used the word “apocalypse” before.

This is the first time.

Sung Ga-yeon said,

“Apocalypse… Do you really think it’s the apocalypse? Is this the end?”

Hmm…

This question.

My head is getting a bit complicated.

Sung Ga-yeon, and probably others, must think this is a global crisis that can be overcome with effort.

A crisis that can be overcome.

But the word “apocalypse” carries a different weight.

No one I’ve met so far has used the word “apocalypse.”

It’s as if using the word “apocalypse” would acknowledge an irresistible, insurmountable situation.

Perhaps, subconsciously, people avoid using such words.

Because acknowledging the irresistible means losing hope.

I looked at Sung Ga-yeon.

I don’t think this is the apocalypse.

I just know it is.

The message told me so.

But I can’t say that.

I slowly nodded at Sung Ga-yeon.

“I think it is. But we are alive. We will continue to live. Don’t you think so?”

Sung Ga-yeon slowly lowered her gaze.

Then she turned to the U.S. commander and translated my words verbatim.

The U.S. commander’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Apocalypse. That is a rather accurate term… for the current circumstances.”

The U.S. commander smiled wryly and continued.

Sung Ga-yeon turned to me and said,

“The word ‘apocalypse’ fits the current situation quite well. To answer your question, yes. Your observation is correct. We have tried several times to leave, but we failed for the same reasons the local residents are concerned about.”

…I get it.

I asked quietly,

“…You mean the beasts. Are they that strong? Strong enough to penetrate a heavily armed military unit?”

The U.S. commander, hearing the translation, nodded slightly.

“You know about the beasts. Yes, the beasts are the reason, but it’s not just because our unit can’t handle them.”

The U.S. commander tapped the ash off his cigar and put it back in his mouth.

He started to say something but stopped when he saw me.

I was about to take out a cigarette.

The U.S. commander saw me and took a cigar from his jacket pocket, offering it to me.

Oh, a cigar.

No reason to refuse.

I took it, put it in my mouth, and cut the end with a cutter. He then lit it with his Zippo lighter.

I took a deep drag and exhaled.

The rich, smoky flavor and deep brown wood scent filled my lungs.

This is good.

In movies, they say cigars are Cuban.

I muttered,

“Is this Cuban?”

Sung Ga-yeon, who was watching me, translated.

The U.S. commander smiled and said,

“Actually, yes. It’s Cuban.”

“Yes, it’s Cuban,” Sung Ga-yeon said.

I held up the cigar and smiled.

Then, I gave a thumbs up and said,

“Good cigar!”

The U.S. commander laughed and said,

“I also think this is the apocalypse now. We might not be able to find these Cuban cigars anymore.”

He rested one elbow on the table.

“I believe there will be a day when we can return to normal life. Even if we can’t solve everything, we can rebuild civilization with the survivors. That’s why we need to go back. We will rescue and gather as many of our people as possible. I assume that’s also why you came here.”

The U.S. commander tapped the ash and continued,

“We can handle the beasts. They are getting bigger, but we haven’t encountered one we can’t handle yet. The problem is protecting the civilians on our side.”

I listened to Sung Ga-yeon’s translation while smoking the cigar.

I slowly nodded and looked at the U.S. commander.

The U.S. commander continued,

“The beasts are beasts. They are getting bigger, but they are also getting faster. I’m not sure if their mass is increasing, but it seems that way. When the flying and land beasts start to gather from all sides, our soldiers with heavy weapons can hold their ground, but their families can’t. That’s why we spent a lot of time training the people who can fight, including the women and civilians. Moreover…”

The U.S. commander sighed softly.

“If we leave and empty this place, we will be completely exposed. The area is mostly farmland, and four hundred people can’t all find cover. We can’t move rashly without knowing how the local survivor groups will react.”

Hmm…

The beasts and the survivor groups.

Both are enemies to these people.

I nodded and asked,

“So, what do you plan to do?”

The U.S. commander crossed his arms.

His expression darkened slightly.

“To be honest, I can’t blame them for being selfish, but I hoped the local residents would help us return to the Lincoln carrier. That’s why we gave them weapons. But as you saw, we couldn’t get their cooperation.”

The U.S. commander put the cigar in the ashtray and crossed his arms.

Then he looked at me.

“We have trained almost all the civilians. We will leave soon. If we encounter resistance from the local residents during the process, we will have to point our guns at them, along with the beasts.”

Sung Ga-yeon’s face darkened as she translated.

My expression probably wasn’t very good either.

Despite his gentle tone, this is what it comes down to.

…If they get in the way, they will all be killed.

…Hmm…

Sung Ga-yeon’s dark expression suggests that the President and Sung Gyu-hyuk won’t be happy to hear this news either.

But what about me?

I don’t care if these people foolishly fight and die.

I came here to get weapons.

I looked at the U.S. commander.

Then I said,

“I have a proposal.”