episode_0014

“Damn it, what the hell…!”

-Thud!

Kim Mun-hyuk slammed the control console with his fists.

He was confused whether his reaction came from excitement or despair.

The scene he just witnessed through the CCTV. The fierce battle between Hajiyu and the mutant zombie, which was hard to follow with the naked eye, ended with Hajiyu’s victory.

Now he didn’t have to worry about the ignorant, large zombies coming in here.

On the other hand, he didn’t know when that monster-like woman would come in here and separate his neck from the warm neck of a zombie.

Kim Mun-hyuk eyed the detonation button.

Bombs modified from LPG gas tanks were hidden on each floor like claymores. A means to isolate the infected area and exterminate the zombies.

Although the large mutant zombie from earlier might not know, it would be sufficient firepower to tear apart humans and regular zombies.

Kim Mun-hyuk pondered. Whether he should detonate the bombs in Zone 2 right away to blow away that monster-like woman and the zombies.

The bomb was truly a last resort. Since there was no need to instill anxiety in people, only a few knew of its existence.

If it were a situation like in the original where the lone mutant alpha died and Hajiyu turned into a zombie, Kim Mun-hyuk wouldn’t even consider using the bomb.

He had already abandoned everyone and fled. The only way to regain public trust was to instill the impression that if we’re not here, you can’t survive.

To do that, the most efficient way is to personally step forward and deal with the remaining zombies. By narrowing the passage, forming a formation, and opening only one side of the gate for incoming zombies, it wouldn’t be a difficult task to handle them one by one.

However, with Beta entering and seeing the monster-like appearance of Hajiyu, there weren’t many options.

Detonating the bomb would eliminate the risk of Hajiyu. But in doing so, it would mean killing the hero who risked his life to protect the people by detonating the bomb. The contrast between Kim Mun-hyuk, who abandoned them and fled, and Hajiyu would become even more stark.

Then why not just blow up the entire first floor and kill them all?

How much longer could he survive with a few subordinates in this chaotic place turned into a mess by the explosion?

At a time of conflict, a man in the screen began to move, supporting Hajiyu. A man whose presence was barely noticeable, and whose name he couldn’t remember.

He had forgotten the fact that their attention was diverted from the battle between Hajiyu and the mutant.

They were heading towards the rest area. If they went in there, even if the bomb detonated, they wouldn’t die.

But how did that guy survive? A guy with no special abilities in a place where zombies were lurking?

The survival instinct that had kept Kim Mun-hyuk alive until now rang an alarm. Keeping him alive was dangerous.

Let’s kill him first and see.

Just as he was about to detonate the bomb.

Click- The door to the control room opened with a sound.

“What the hell is going on!?”

Instinctively aiming the shotgun at the entrance, Kim Mun-hyuk. Ian was standing there, holding a bloody shovel.

Where are the others!?

Kim Mun-hyuk fixed the gun on Ian and turned his eyes to the CCTV screen on the 3rd floor.

Subordinates lying unconscious one by one in the corridor.

And the people left in Zone 1 were nowhere to be seen on the CCTV.

Distracted by the fight between Hajiyu and Beta, he hadn’t paid any attention to the situation on the other side.

Glancing at the CCTV, Ian swallowed a sigh. As Yoon Si-woo had boasted, the large mutant zombie was lying on the ground.

From the fact that Yoon Si-woo and Hajiyu were not visible, it seemed that the two of them had managed to bring down the monster and escape.

Area 1 residents, including Chadoa and Lee Sang-yeop, all sought refuge in the underground power room.

Now Ian only needed to focus on his task. Right in front of him, the red buttons that looked dangerous at first glance were open. The detonation buttons.

“It’s all over, Kim Moon-hyuk. There’s no point in trying to detonate the bomb now.”

Kim Moon-hyuk, sweating coldly with a gun pointed at him, trembled. How did this guy know about the bomb?

With nowhere to run, his head began to spin more and more in the dire situation. It was strange to think about it.

All of this happened in just one day after those guys came in. Before they came in, just yesterday, he was the king of this place.

Was this even possible?

A never-before-seen variant leading a horde of zombies invaded. But they even knew about the bomb’s existence? It was as if they had been watching him all along, threatening him not to detonate the bomb.

Yes. He was being watched. The devil, jealous of Kim Moon-hyuk, the only survivor in the world, sent the lion of the zombies to drag Kim Moon-hyuk down from his throne.

That was the only explanation.

“Huh…, hehehe. Did you think I wouldn’t know about this? You zombie bastards. You let those zombies in, didn’t you? No? Do you think I’ll just step aside?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me!”

Ian was in a dilemma. He tried to talk his way out of it, but for some reason, Kim Moon-hyuk had completely lost it.

A madman with a weapon was the most dangerous. No matter how calm Ian was, there was no way out if the excited Kim Moon-hyuk pulled the trigger.

“You’re a damn zombie bastard, right? You came to take my place, didn’t you? Isn’t that right?”

With a voice raised in excitement, Kim Moon-hyuk’s voice cracked. His finger twitched as if he would pull the trigger at any moment. Cold sweat dripped from Ian’s temples. How could he subdue a madman with a gun?

While pondering over the seemingly unsolvable problem, Ian suddenly remembered the recorder and what Yoon Si-woo had said.

“There’s a recording of zombie sounds. It might come in handy at some point.”

“Kim Moon-hyuk’s gun is a double-barreled shotgun. He has to reload after two shots.”

Suddenly, all the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.

“What the hell!”

In the sudden blackout, while Kim Moon-hyuk cursed in confusion, Ian reflexively threw himself to one corner and threw the recorder with the playback button pressed to the opposite side.

-Eeeeeeek!!!!!

The chilling scream of the zombie echoed in the narrow control room.

“Aaahhh!!!”

Screaming as if in agony, Kim Moon-hyuk aimed the trigger towards the direction of the sound.

-Bang! Bang!

With each gunshot, flames erupted, briefly illuminating Kim Moon-hyuk’s doll-like figure. In that brief moment of light, Ian pinpointed the exact location. As soon as the two bullets were depleted, Ian, who had sprung out with all his might, wielded a crowbar in the darkness.

-Thud!

A sound like a watermelon bursting resounded, and Kim Moon-hyuk’s body collapsed to the ground.

“Haa…, haa….”

Perhaps due to the tension of facing a madman with a gun, Ian, who didn’t move much, breathed heavily. Forgetting his usual control over people, he exerted all his strength.

He kicked the dropped gun and pressed down on Kim Moon-hyuk’s body. Amidst this, Ian thought of Yoon Si-woo. It was as if he had known that this would happen, handing him the recorder and saying those words.

He made a mental note to ask him later, then turned his attention back to Kim Moon-hyuk.

“Kim Moon-hyuk, it’s all over now….”

Feeling a sense of discomfort as he suppressed his body, Ian quickly got up as soon as he checked Kim Mun-hyuk’s condition with the flashlight.

His head was partially sunken in, the skull already shattered. It was an injury that no one could survive.

It was his first murder.

***

“What, what is this…?”

I stared blankly at the scene that could be described as a massacre.

It didn’t even take a minute. Until I dealt with the remaining zombies in Zone 2.

As I stepped out of the break room, a horde of zombies that had escaped from the ropes seemed to be waiting and rushed towards us.

I tightened my grip on the bat. Still close to a hundred. Jiyu was confident that she could handle them alone, but she had just fought Beta and was likely exhausted. Even if her wounds had healed, she would be physically drained.

So while Jiyu was dealing with the zombies, I decided to reduce the numbers from behind.

Jiyu, who was in a ready stance, narrowed her eyes.

“Something feels off?”

“What is it?”

“No, never mind. Don’t worry about it.”

As if to say not to worry, she drew her sword. It was invisible. Normally, her movements were hard to follow with the naked eye, but this time, she completely disappeared without a trace.

The next moment, the heads of a dozen zombies fell to the ground.

The zombies that lost their target were confused, and I was stunned.

Once again, a blur passed by, and the zombies’ heads fell. And Jiyu stood beside me as if she had teleported.

I had thought her movements had reached the limit of human capabilities before, but now it was truly beyond human agility.

“My, my body feels strange.”

I nodded absentmindedly.

“Let’s deal with this first and then think about it.”

In less than a minute, the heads of about a hundred zombies were separated from their bodies.

“What do you think it is?”

“Well, it feels like all my physical abilities, strength, agility, everything has improved. And my legs feel faster. Especially when I first run out, I can explosively dash forward.”

We looked at each other. Without saying a word, we understood what that meant.

Isn’t this Beta’s ability?

Jiyu’s eyes flickered uneasily.

“I… I’m still human, right?”

“Y-yes! You are human. Remember earlier, the zombies rushed at you as soon as they saw you.”

“But my eyes are red…”

“It’s different from the zombies! They are more bright red, and you have a bit of a reddish aura, that’s all.”

Jiyu, who had a deep look on her face for a while, let out a deep sigh.

“Well, no matter how much I think about it, nothing will change. I still feel like myself, and my mind is still the same.”

“Yeah, yeah. Good is good, let’s not overthink it.”

I said that, but my mind was already spinning with various other plans.