43. Uljin Nuclear Power Plant. (3)

Sergeant Song and a few special forces members were pulling out the tire from under the fence as we walked toward the building where the crazy man was.

The crazy man was leaning out of the window, observing our actions.

He then raised his hand and made an OK sign.

Looking back, I saw Sergeant Song and the special forces members finishing the tire removal and walking toward us.

The crazy man gestured for us to come in and then disappeared back into the window.

Soon, a buzzing sound filled the air as high-voltage electricity started flowing through the fence.

As we approached the building, Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk said to Seong Ga-yeon:

“Seong Hoon, Sergeant Song, and I will go inside. Ga-yeon, you take charge of the team and secure the building.”

He looked into the desolate power plant complex and added:

“We don’t know if anything got in when we cut the power to the fence, so stay alert. Everyone, did you bring backup batteries for your phones?”

“Yes, we have them.”

The team members responded, and Seong Ga-yeon nodded.

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk said to Seong Ga-yeon:

“First, put in your Bluetooth earphones and call me. If anything happens, let me know immediately.”

Seong Ga-yeon inserted her Bluetooth earphones and made a call, muttering quietly:

“We should have gotten more radios from the U.S. military. Now we have to use text messages during operations. This is ridiculous.”

Seong Gyu-hyuk chuckled and said:

“Once we secure the national utilities, our next goal will be our military bases. We’ll have more radios than we need. Ah, can you hear me?”

Seong Ga-yeon touched her Bluetooth earphones and nodded at the commander:

“Yes, I can hear you twice. Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, I can hear you. Stay alert.”

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk patted Seong Ga-yeon’s shoulder and turned to me:

“Let’s go, Seong Hoon.”

He and Sergeant Song then entered the building.

I followed them and looked back at Seong Ga-yeon.

Commander.

She seems to be treating me by rank during operations rather than as a brother.

She was directing the team members to secure the building’s perimeter, looking competent and confident.

She could probably lead a special forces team on her own.

But in the current situation, it’s not a good idea to split up into small groups.

As we entered the building, a sound immediately caught our attention.

Woof- Aa-woof-

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk and Sergeant Song stopped in their tracks.

“…What’s that sound?”

“I don’t know. It’s unsettling.”

They exchanged a few words and looked around.

The sound was coming from somewhere, continuous and eerie, like a dog howling or a cat crying.

I tried to locate the source but couldn’t. The walls and stairs made it impossible to pinpoint the origin of the echo from the entrance.

“…I hope there’s no monster cat around here.”

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk and Sergeant Song nodded in agreement.

Then, the crazy man in the white coat shuffled down the stairs from a distance.

“You’ve arrived. Come on up. Follow me.”

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk tilted his head and asked:

“Where are you taking us?”

The crazy man in the white coat widened his eyes and asked:

“To learn how to manage the power plant, of course. Isn’t that why you’re here? You don’t know how to operate a nuclear power plant, do you?”

Seong Hoon, Seong Gyu-hyuk, and Sergeant Song exchanged glances, confirming the unspoken question in each other’s eyes.

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk asked the crazy man:

“Of course, we need to learn how to manage the power plant, but I have several questions first. Are you the only one here?”

The crazy man in the white coat hesitated.

Then, he nodded vigorously and approached us.

“If you’re here to learn how to manage the power plant, you’ve come at the right time. I was just about to run out of food and didn’t know what to do.”

He came closer, placed his hands on his waist, and sighed.

“You probably need a nuclear technician. Yes, I’m the only one left.”

Seong Gyu-hyuk asked:

“What happened to the others? Did they die? Or…”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence.

The crazy man in the white coat sighed and said:

“Yes, some of them… changed. Others said they had to find their families, bring them back, and never returned. A few more…”

“…What happened to the others?”

The crazy man shook his head in response to Seong Gyu-hyuk’s question.

“…At first, there was chaos. After a few days, the streets became quiet. Those who wanted to find their families left, and those who stayed set up the fence and connected the power. We waited, hoping the situation would improve. We expected the government to do something.”

…Of course.

Not just this crazy man in the white coat, but probably all the survivors felt the same way.

He continued:

“But as a week passed, then a month, nothing improved. The news stopped, the TV went dark, and YouTube only showed videos of madness spreading around the world. Our hope slowly faded.”

He smiled bitterly and said:

“There were eight of us left. Two of them lost patience and left, never to be heard from again. One person committed suicide, hanging themselves from a bathroom door. Another followed soon after…”

…Hmm.

It might be common, but in an apocalyptic situation, this isn’t an unusual outcome.

The crazy man in the white coat said:

“I burned the bodies to prevent them from… turning into those… crazy things. So… that’s it. Yes, I’m the only one left.”

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk and Sergeant Song looked at each other, not saying much.

They had seen too many suicides, deaths, and transformations during the rescue operation in Seo-rae Village. The fact that something similar happened here wasn’t particularly shocking.

It was just disheartening for those who were trying to survive and make a difference.

Their expressions reflected this sentiment.

The crazy man in the white coat lifted his head and smiled.

“Come on up. I still have some coffee left. We can have a cup while I explain the power plant. You have plenty of time, right?”

He then walked up the stairs.

Seong Gyu-hyuk looked at me and said:

“We should go up.”

What other choice do we have?

I nodded.

“Yes, let’s go.”

The three of us followed the crazy man in the white coat up the stairs.

Then, Sergeant Song asked:

“What happened to the other three?”

The crazy man in the white coat, who was climbing the stairs, paused.

“…What?”

“You said there were eight left. Four left or committed suicide. What happened to the other three?”

Sergeant Song asked.

The crazy man in the white coat slowly turned his head.

…The wrinkles on his face doubled.

He looked more like a monkey than a human.

No, his face looked like a roughly carved piece of wood.

The crazy man in the white coat, with such a face, stared at Sergeant Song with eyes wide open.

His face was pitch black.

It wasn’t a face or attitude a human could make.

Sergeant Song slowly took a step back.

Seong Gyu-hyuk, on the other hand, stepped forward.

He slowly placed his finger on the trigger of his assault rifle.

I slowly placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.

Those eyes.

I’ve seen them before.

The eyes of the human beasts were exactly like that.

Whether old, young, or in between, all human beasts had those eyes.

The crazy man in the white coat was staring at Sergeant Song without blinking, without saying a word.

Special Forces Commander Seong Gyu-hyuk said quietly:

“…Sir, are you alright?”

-Click.

Seong Gyu-hyuk’s assault rifle made a faint metallic sound as he simultaneously asked the question and disengaged the safety.

I slowly gripped the hilt of my sword and looked at the crazy man in the white coat.

“…Ah.”

The crazy man in the white coat made a sound.

He then blinked and said with a bitter smile:

“I’m sorry. I was just lost in thought. What did you ask again?”

Sergeant Song swallowed hard.

“…The other three.”

The crazy man in the white coat smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“As you might have guessed, they all… turned into those things.”

He then continued up the stairs, sighed, and said:

“It’s sad, really. Really sad…”

The three of us stood there, looking at each other.

Seong Gyu-hyuk said to Sergeant Song:

“How long has it been since you last fired a gun? Do you still know how to shoot?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Good. Stay alert. No, keep the safety on. If anything happens, Seong Hoon and I will handle it. You support us from the back.”

“A… Alright.”

Seong Gyu-hyuk looked at me and said quietly:

“…Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Be careful.”

Before I could respond, a loud voice came from upstairs:

“Shut up! Be quiet! You’re not even real! Who’s my child? Shut up! Shut up and go away!”

The sound echoed down the stairs.

…It sounded like someone being consumed by something.

Not physically, but mentally, as if something inside them had shattered.

His face and demeanor were clearly not normal.

I slowly nodded.

“Yes, let’s be careful.”

With my acceleration ability, I don’t need to be overly cautious.

The ones who need to be careful are these people.

They are valuable in this situation.

Nothing will likely happen, but I’ll do my best to protect them.

Seong Gyu-hyuk nodded at me and started up the stairs.

Sergeant Song followed behind.

I brought up the rear, scanning the surroundings as I followed them up the stairs.

Woof- Aa-woof-

The eerie sound continued to echo from somewhere.