episode_0025

Summer rose from the warm embrace of the blanket, feeling refreshed.

It felt like she had slept deeply for a long time. Still groggy from sleep, she recalled the events of yesterday.

Yoon Siwoo, or rather, her Master now. It felt like magic. After forming a connection with him, all the pain and suffering disappeared.

And when that huge thing entered, the exhilarating feeling of almost losing her mind. Even now, just thinking about it made her feel a tingling sensation below.

She shivered at the sensation for a moment.

Is this what love feels like?

The words that she repeated dozens of times yesterday, deeply engraved in her bones. Now, she believed it sincerely.

Surely, even her brother would be pleased from above, knowing that his younger sister had found someone to love.

In this ruined world, the dead stayed dead, and the living somehow found their own reasons to survive. That was the law of this cruel world.

***

Since that day, Summer had changed drastically. Her passive attitude was gone. She actively cooperated in the experiments and even asked if there was anything else she could help with.

With her naturally friendly personality, she even gave a nickname, “Mini,” to a small zombie and got along with it. I was no exception to her affable nature. Slowly, she started to cling to me more and more…

“Kyahaha! Master!”

“Don’t call me that outside…”

“Then what should I call you if not Master?”

Summer tilted her head innocently. I shook my head helplessly.

“Call me anything else except that… and never use that title when other people are around.”

“Okay, got it!”

Summer clung to my arm, swinging back and forth. She had complained about feeling stifled before and had sneaked out a few times at night, but this was the first time during the day. So, it was essentially her first outing since entering the underground shelter. Her excitement was even higher than usual.

Even though we deliberately took less crowded paths, we still encountered several people.

It was inevitable. With the active recruitment through the new broadcast, the number of survivors who had gathered from the metropolitan area had tripled. Surviving meant being strong.

It wasn’t just physical strength. If everyone didn’t have a specialized skill for survival, they wouldn’t have lasted in this ruined world. In other words, high-level talents specialized for the apocalypse.

As these people flowed in, the shelter was gradually taking on the appearance of a stable base.

Newcomers who didn’t know Summer just greeted me casually and passed by. To them, I was just someone confined underground. It was only natural, like a former researcher who had once contributed to society.

The investigation team was mainly composed of Ian and Jiyugo, going outside to procure supplies, while I occasionally went out for a stroll when I felt like it.

Of course, my exploits during the mutant invasion had been passed down through word of mouth, but from the listeners’ perspective, it was just another exaggerated heroic tale.

If you added a bit of spice to the stories of the people who had survived outside until now, there wasn’t a single person without a spectacular story.

On the other hand, the reactions of the existing residents were different. Despite the passage of time, they still greeted her cautiously, sending wary glances. Some even pulled their hoods down low and were surprised when they recognized Summer.

But since I was next to her, they just passed by with uncomfortable expressions. Each time, Summer muttered under her breath.

“Ugh, so unlucky.”

“Just bear with it a little longer. We’ll be leaving here soon.”

“Really? Will you take me with you?”

“Of course.”

Leaving someone behind was practically like telling them to become a zombie.

In the beginning, she was a bit rebellious, but later on, she actively cooperated. Above all, there was a bond that had formed between them, so to be so cold-hearted… And if she continues to be by her side, there will still be many ways to utilize her.

They arrived at the meeting room before they knew it. Inside, everyone was already gathered.

There were no new executives, including the bald man Lee Sangyeop. Only the original members were present.

“You’re here?”

“Oh, hello.”

Ian and Cha Doa greeted her warmly. Ji Yu, who was about to greet them, stopped in his tracks and furrowed his eyebrows.

Why is he acting like that since this morning? It wasn’t until yesterday that she realized something was wrong.

Whenever the two of them were together these days, she hadn’t realized that something was off… Even now, Yeorum was clinging to my arm and nuzzling against my chest.

“Ahem.”

Feeling embarrassed, I tried to pull my arm away.

“Huh? Why are you pulling away, Master? You like it when I do this.”

Yeorum embraced my arm even tighter and pressed against my chest.

“Mas… Master…?”

As if shocked by the title, Ji Yu made a bewildered expression.

“I-I’m sorry, Master! It’s become a habit. Hehe, but I like it.”

“Only in front of people…? So you always call me that in private? You’re lucky, Yoon Siwoo. Some are out there fighting zombies every day to gather supplies, while others are busy underground with experiments, playing around with their Master.”

“What? Why is she like that?”

When Ji Yu glared at her, Yeorum hid behind me.

Damn… Why is the atmosphere like this since morning?

It was a bit unfair, but it wasn’t an incorrect statement. I had almost finished everything I could do here, and I had some free time these days. It was time to move on to the next stage.

Above all, trying to justify myself here would only make things more awkward, so I just sat quietly in my seat.

The awkward atmosphere suddenly changed. Yeorum, who had been lost in thought, finally became aware of her surroundings.

Ian. For Yeorum, the enemy who killed her brother. Despite constantly nagging, persuading, and educating her whenever she had the chance, Yeorum glared at Ian.

The grudge in her heart was not easily resolved.

Receiving that gaze, Ian gave a bitter smile.

“Thank you for bringing Kim Yeorum as I requested. Seeing the two of them together eased my worries.”

It must have been his thoughts on the words he had said to me before, asking me to treat Kim Yeorum like a human. He probably wanted to see for himself if she was doing well.

Well, it might be a bit different from what Ian said, but as long as he’s happy with it, that’s all that matters, right?

Suddenly standing up from his seat, Ian bowed deeply to Yeorum.

“I’m sorry. I won’t make excuses for the situation at the time. But I promise one thing. I will do my best to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, and I will do my best in the future.”

It didn’t just mean killing Kim Moonhyuk. It was a story about the tragedy of humans killing each other in front of zombies.

I wondered if it was necessary to go that far, but if it put his mind at ease, then so be it.

Maybe it was thanks to that. Yeorum’s heart seemed to soften a bit, but she still sent sharp glances at Ian.

Just in case, I had also ordered her not to attack Ian under any circumstances.

Well, if it’s Ian, he should be able to block Yeorum’s surprise attack, but you never know. The current Yeorum might succeed.

When summer pricked her finger with a needle, a drop of blood quickly formed and fell. From the small piece of meat below, steam rose.

Everyone watched with interest.

This was one of the reasons why the existing members gathered here today. To share the results of the experiments that had been conducted.

First, infection. If semen, or suppressant, is injected within 30 minutes of infection, the infection can be prevented. After 3 days, symptoms reappear, and if suppressant is not injected again within 7 days, complete zombification occurs.

Although experiments have not been conducted on humans, similar results were obtained when mini, as summer affectionately called them, were targeted. Therefore, it is expected to be the same.

When a zombie is attacked again in a state where the infection is suppressed, zombification accelerates by about 2 times. It was said to be a side effect, but the time it took for heat to occur was reduced from 3 days to 1.5 days, and zombification was reduced from 7 days to 3.5 days. There was no further acceleration from being attacked twice.

If a variant attacks a zombie in a state where the infection is suppressed, the characteristics of the variant are inherited. Even if attacked by a normal zombie in this state, the abilities do not disappear.

In the case of injury, injecting suppressant results in rapid healing of wounds. Also, like zombies, they can see well even without light. All senses, including sight and hearing, become more sensitive overall.

If a suppressant is injected through the vein, the face returns to normal the next day, and about half of the body returns to a human-like appearance. From the 3rd day onwards, rotten parts increase again, and by the 7th day, they become completely zombified.

During the period of receiving continuous suppressant injections, they can perform commands with about the intelligence of a dog, and it was judged that memories are also retained. However, after 7 days, when zombification is complete and suppressant is injected again, memories are not retained.

The effect of the suppressant lasts for about an hour even after exposure to the outside.

The inheritance of alpha characteristics is acidification of the blood. This is why Ian could be in danger if Summer decides to use it. Just one cut with a knife on the palm and sprinkling of blood would be a lethal attack.

And immunity to the acidic substance of the alpha. Well, it’s obvious since they inherited the alpha’s characteristics.

Just in case, I also casually touched my hand, and it was a surprising discovery that I was immune to this acidic substance.

The inheritance of beta characteristics was demonstrated by Jiyu.

After medical supplies were procured, experiments using blood were also conducted, but as expected, just like in the original, Ian’s attempts failed.

Finally, the presentation ended with thanks to Jiyu for capturing the alpha for the experiment.

Ian, with an admiring expression, asked a question.

“What exactly is this suppressant?”

Jiyu’s pupils shook as her face turned red.

Summer had calmed down somewhat during the long presentation, but in front of Ian, her attitude was still standoffish.

There was no need to share that information, right?

“Sorry. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just think it’s safer for me to be the only one who knows the manufacturing method.”

Ian nodded lightly, understanding that he wasn’t being forced.

After that, Ian briefed on the future plans and the current situation of the base.

The influx of survivors. Procurement and stabilization of supplies. Everything was going smoothly.

Communication had been established with some areas where survivors had gathered. They shared information about the variants and gave them official names.

And recently, there had been significant progress in the Busan area.

The area where zombies arrived last was able to buy time for the military to gather. After intense battles, they successfully drove out all the zombies and created a defense line the size of a metropolitan city.

The military had set up a command post in Busan and was planning to supply each base by air soon. While food supplies were scarce, there was an ample amount of firearms.

It was time to move on to the next chapter.

Even just receiving weapon supplies would improve the situation in many places. The zombies would soon evolve accordingly, but they had bought enough time to catch their breath. They needed to find another way out within that time.

However, the worry was that another variant gamma had already appeared in the south where bullets were raining down. It was too fast. Originally, the ones appearing in the south at this time should have been betas.

I had already made plans to move a step faster in response to that, but I couldn’t help feeling anxious.

By the time the briefing was over, Ian’s expression had darkened slightly.

“Oh, and the communication has been poor since yesterday. There’s a lot of noise, making it hard to distinguish voices properly.”

As soon as I heard that, I widened my eyes and sat up straight.

“What!?”

Surely it won’t be a fucking… no way…

Suddenly, the radio began to ring.

-This is Rabbit. Beta spotted at four o’clock.

This was already the fourth appearance of a Beta since that day. Perhaps because they had dealt with a few already, the voice that came through sounded calm.

Let’s deal with the Beta first and then investigate.

As the group made eye contact and prepared to stand up together, a voice filled with clear panic followed.

-Helicopter at six o’clock!

My face froze in an instant. Something was wrong.