episode_0009

There were two survivors.

Kim Mun-hyuk, screaming at the front, and one person running right behind him. The man falling behind was getting closer to being caught by the zombies, as if he would be grabbed by them any moment.

“Stop them!! Come out and stop these bastards!!”

Perhaps it was due to the deeply ingrained sense of hierarchy. Despite Kim Mun-hyuk’s shout, the subordinates flinched but couldn’t bring themselves to run out.

The zombie running at the front grabbed the man’s clothes who fell behind. Like spitting out vomit, the zombie’s cheek swelled up.

“Kuuaaack!!”

With a disgusting sound, green acidic vomit sprayed out of the zombie’s mouth. It covered the man’s back and flowed down to his spine.

“Ugh, ughhh….”

– Sizzle….

In an instant, the man’s hair melted away with rising smoke.

“Ugh, aghhh….”

With a momentary scream, the man collapsed forward, trembling as if in a seizure. His exposed appearance was even more gruesome.

The acidic substance had already melted the scalp, revealing the skull, and under the stripped skin, the charred spine was exposed.

A mutated Alpha. The first reported mutation that spews powerful acidic vomit.

The horrifying sight that no one had ever seen before triggered screams everywhere.

“Ugh, aghhh!!!”

“Kyaahhh!!!”

Those who already knew the terror of zombies well. Some of them had ventured out looking for an escape route, engaging in battles with zombies and sustaining injuries.

The mutation they were facing now reminded them of the fear they felt when they first encountered zombies. For a moment, everyone recalled the death they had temporarily set aside. What followed was pure chaos.

To their eyes, every zombie rushing towards them seemed like they would spew acidic vomit at any moment. In reality, there was only one mutation.

Upon closer inspection, green spots were visible all over its body, making it easily distinguishable.

Even Kim Mun-hyuk’s loyal dogs were terrified and prepared to flee.

I reached out with the loop handle of the umbrella I was holding and hooked it around Moondae’s ankle. Moondae, caught in fear, didn’t even see the situation around him and fell to the ground while screaming.

Originally, this guy had run away with Hajiyu’s weapon.

Moondae picked up the dropped katana and threw it to Hajiyu. Then he charged towards the Alpha mutation.

Quick-witted Kim Mun-hyuk turned around and ran in a different direction from us.

I thought about subduing Kim Mun-hyuk as well, but that’s why you can’t underestimate the quick-witted ones.

The Alpha naturally switched its target to the one standing at the forefront, which was me.

The red eyes aiming for prey shone in this direction. The target was Hajiyu, who was running right behind me, but it appeared as if I was the one standing in front.

As the human ran towards it, the Alpha welcomed with open arms. Soon, its throat swelled up. If I hesitated when its cheek swelled up, it would be too late. I immediately opened the umbrella.

“Kuuaaack!”

The green acidic vomit sprayed from the Alpha’s mouth stuck to the umbrella. I quickly threw away the melting umbrella emitting smoke.

In that gap, Hajiyu rushed in like a flash.

“Haahh!”

The sword strike, like a painting, left a streak of light on the Alpha’s neck.

– Thud.

As the head fell, the Alpha’s body collapsed.

Easy. A smirk crept up. Normally, Hajiyu would face the Alpha alone with a sword. He managed to subdue the Alpha, but in the chaos, he succumbed to becoming a zombie due to the injuries he sustained in the melee.

However, I easily subdued the Alpha and even changed Hajiyu’s fate.

“Hehehe….”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter. Hajiyu looked slightly puzzled at my shivering in this situation.

Ah, this is not the time for this. I had only caught the mutant, but more zombies were gathering from behind.

At that moment, a barricade modified from a fire shutter was slowly descending from the ceiling.

The barricade divided the first floor into three sections to prepare for the zombie invasion.

The central area where people usually live is the 2nd section. The entrance where the zombies are rushing in is the 1st section. The direction where Kim Munhyuk fled, with stairs and elevators to move between floors, is the 3rd section.

The descending barricade meant that Kim Munhyuk had reached the 3rd section and issued orders. In a typical gangster fashion, he had immediately blocked the escape route as soon as he reached a safe place.

There were still many injured and elderly people who had not yet evacuated to the 2nd section.

I shouted towards Ian, “Get the people inside and secure the control room on the 3rd floor! I’ll do my best to keep the zombies from coming in here!”

“What are you talking about! Let’s run away together!”

“There’s no time to argue! I’m really fine!”

Then, I looked at Hajiyu next to me.

“Jiyu, help Ian evacuate the people and hold off the zombies trying to get in until the right moment to escape together.”

Hajiyu, like Ian, had a face that didn’t quite agree, but since I had given her a direct order yesterday, I left only those words and ran towards the direction where the zombies were coming. More specifically, towards a corner where the zombies were rushing in diagonally.

There, a device I had painstakingly prepared yesterday was waiting.

As I ran out, the footsteps that should have been getting farther away were getting closer.

When I turned around, I saw Hajiyu following me.

“Yoonsiu, I’ll take her back, Ian, you evacuate the people!”

“What!? What are you doing! We finished talking about this yesterday!”

“Shh, be quiet! I’ll handle the zombies, so you do your job!”

For some reason, Hajiyu’s face seemed a little red, and was she already out of breath? Nevertheless, it seemed like she didn’t trust me very much.

Could it be that she mistakenly thought I was prepared to sacrifice myself alone to save people? I’m sorry, but I am definitely not that kind of person.

Well, realistically speaking, without knowing my abilities, even if I were to rush into the direction where the zombies were coming alone, there was no way I could survive. Even if I were to be isolated here with the zombies, it wouldn’t matter much to me.

Still, with Hajiyu here, we could quickly finish the job and evacuate together. The mutant had already been taken care of. If I told her to go back, she would definitely follow.

Facing one wall while Hajiyu protected me from the outside, we ran towards our goal.

Already, a few zombies at the front were changing direction and running towards Hajiyu and me. More accurately, they were only running towards Hajiyu.

A flashing sword cut through the air multiple times. The approaching zombie, as if it had been hit, was instantly separated from its head and body.

It’s not some kind of automatic zombie interception system. It’s amazing every time I see it. Truly a balance disruptor. No wonder I killed it early in the original work.

At this speed, we could easily finish the job and evacuate together. Even if the two of us were left behind here, Hajiyu could easily take down all the zombies alone.

Upon reaching our destination, I immediately pulled out my knife and cut the fishing line made by twisting several layers.

The lines I had tied together moved, triggering the trap. The fishing lines tied to each pillar were pulled taut and rose up to knee height. Then, a loud bang echoed from Zone 1.

It worked perfectly. The sound of the furniture pile I had set up in front of the door collapsing yesterday. With this, the zombies shouldn’t be able to enter anymore.

Soon after, the zombies rushing towards the people who hadn’t evacuated yet got caught in the fishing lines. The zombies tumbled over in a group.

“Alright! Let’s go back!”

Things were going too well, so I absentmindedly extended my hand with a bright expression. Haji-yu hesitated for a moment before awkwardly smiling and meeting my hand.

Snap! A cheerful sound rang out.

It was easier than I thought. At this pace, I could join Ian and move together.

The evacuation was almost complete. Thanks to the traps working properly, there weren’t many zombies reaching where the people were.

Ian swung the baseball bat his subordinates were throwing away, smashing the heads of the zombies one by one, while Cha Do-ah and a few brave individuals helped the elderly and injured move into the barricade.

Among them was Lee Sang-yeop. He admired Ian and Haji-yu’s skills with a sidelong glance, sweating profusely on his shining bald head as he busily moved.

“Come on! Jung-gu, help Yoon-seok here and support him!”

With his unique charisma, Lee Sang-yeop built some trust among the people, allowing them to move even faster with his instructions.

Finally, with everyone’s efforts, the evacuation was completed faster than expected, leaving only Ian in Zone 2 waiting for us.

The barricade had come down to chest level. It was tight, but at this speed, there was enough space to crawl through. We could handle a couple of incoming enemies easily.

Just as we were running with such optimistic thoughts.

“Kraaahhh!!”

A thunderous roar echoed through the courtyard, piercing our ears.

Frozen in place, I confirmed the source of the sound. It wasn’t the first time we faced this.

A mutant standing close to 3 meters tall, muscles like armor covering its entire body.

A Beta…? Why is it here?

There was no time to think. The Beta, running like a sprinter, charged towards Ian as if it would explode.

“Run…!”

Before I could finish shouting the warning, the Beta lunged towards Ian like a bullet.

With each step, the ground trembled. It was a charge that couldn’t be stopped with just fishing lines.

Running at an unimaginable speed, the Beta threw its entire body at Ian, delivering a body blow.

I shut my eyelids tightly at the horrifying sight.