episode_0031

The spacious store was filled with gear.

Black uniforms on mannequins, covered with armor.

Bulletproof vests, arm guards, and greaves made even the mannequins look sturdy.

“Police special forces… equipment?”

They weren’t modern pieces, but I had experience wearing armor.

I believe equipment is essential to protect one’s only life.

Beautiful, modern-feeling equipment to assist with that.

My heart fluttered.

I slowly looked around the store.

It seemed to be a military concept by country, with uniforms and equipment from several nations displayed.

What was unusual was that police special forces and fire brigade equipment were also visible.

I only vaguely knew that they looked sturdy and good.

The basic contents were similar, only the colors and designs differed slightly.

Aside from what I knew a little about from Korea and the US, I didn’t know much.

After looking around for anything good, I found various types of knives, lighting equipment, and even microscopes.

Many items prepared according to the concept.

It was a sight that military enthusiasts would surely love.

First, I excluded military uniforms.

Somehow, I felt like if I walked around in a military uniform and stood out, I’d be forcibly conscripted.

I also excluded stab-proof and bulletproof vests for now.

They were too uncomfortable to move in.

What I needed were light, sturdy, partial defensive parts.

The less restrictive to movement, the more it suited my preference.

First, I picked up some black guards.

Cut-resistant and stab-proof gloves were also essential.

I stocked up quite a bit as spares in my inventory.

It’s best not to fight if possible, but you never know what the future holds.

While packing the armor, I looked around but there were many items I didn’t recognize.

The only things worth taking immediately were large tactical backpacks or lights.

‘Why is this so big?’

It was clearly a flashlight, but its size was like an adult’s forearm.

Curious, I spun it around and then flipped the switch.

It worked, so there must have been battery left.

The sun was still out, so I couldn’t tell how good the light was.

“What kind of button is this- Agh! Damn it!”

It seemed to be a booster button.

Suddenly, my eyes flashed, and I felt a stinging sensation.

The sensation of being hit directly in the eye made it hard to think straight.

“Ahhh!! My eyes!”

It took a long time before I could open my eyes.

Still, lingering damage left a green spot in my vision.

“Ah~ What kind of light intensity is this?”

I rubbed my eyes, shedding a few tears, and only then did I finally calm down.

I checked what kind of product it was.

『Ultra Powerful! Super Bright pro2 Tactical Flashlight』

The somewhat childish naming made me shake my head.

“Ah. This!”

The dazzling brightness that properly “blasted” my eyes reminded me of something.

A powerful flashlight I’d seen on YouTube that could illuminate midnight as if it were midday.

It seemed to be that kind.

So I had operated a weapon-like light right in front of my face…

‘It’s a good thing my eyes aren’t damaged.’

Grumbling, I packed similar items.

I might have to move around at night in the future.

Electricity might be cut off, so it’s not bad to have lights.

I turned my gaze and examined the items in the store.

Unfortunately, the knives were more for camping than military use.

Considering durability, I left them all except for the full-tang knives.

And then there was the axe that had caught my eye earlier.

Fire axes seemed to be the main focus, with red heads and sleek bodies, lined up by type. Hand axes 50cm long and long axes 90cm long.

Equipment meant for breaking down fire doors or obstacles to save people during fires, now had to be used to smash zombie heads.

With a willing heart, I carefully packed them away.

After that, I wandered around inside, looking at items, but there was nothing else worth taking.

There was a wide variety, but I couldn’t tell what their purpose was.

At best, rope.

Still, I felt good about having packed quite practically.

The armor would be good for me to use immediately, and hadn’t my companions also torn off denim scraps to wrap around their bodies?

Secretly satisfied, I left the store.

As I passed through the corridor with no particular abnormalities and headed towards the emergency stairs.

『Army Express Storage Room』

A small sign was visible at the end of the corridor.

I couldn’t just pass by, so I changed direction.

“……”

The door was open.

There seemed to be no particular presence inside.

But habitually, I gripped my crowbar.

I slightly bent my knees and lowered my stance.

To be able to react at any time.

I raised my hand and lightly pushed the door with my fingertips.

Fortunately, the hinges were in good condition, and no sound was made.

As the door opened, a gentle breeze tickled my face.

And a faint, metallic smell.

The smell of blood.

The interior wasn’t as large as the store I’d just left.

It seemed to be a storage room, about the size of a medium office. On one side, boxes were stacked on metal racks, and on the other, various types of neatly organized boxes.

I held my breath and cautiously stepped forward.

I moved like a cat walking silently along a wall.

The goods were arranged to the left and right, making it easy to move through, which was useful.

The person who managed this place might have been quite efficient.

Nothing suspicious was visible directly ahead.

I still didn’t let my guard down.

When I walked between the items to the opposite end.

At the far left, I saw blood spatters scattered on the floor.

I quickly darted my eyes around, scanning the surroundings, but there was nothing unusual.

There were no zombie cries nor any human presence.

I had no choice but to check with my own eyes.

I slowly walked towards the bloodstains that marred the floor.

Since it was a narrow space due to the boxes on both sides, I maintained my ready stance, prepared to swing my crowbar at any moment.

“…”

There was no one.

Neither human nor zombie.

In one corner, there were traces of a struggle and blood.

It must have been a fierce struggle, as red human blood and dark, reddish-black zombie blood were mixed and dried.

As I observed the traces, a sudden breeze blew in.

I turned my head in that direction and saw that the window was shattered.

Bloodstains and fabric fragments were stuck to the broken glass shards.

I approached the window and gently looked down.

Below, two entangled corpses were mashed into a pulp.

It was only three stories high, but they seemed to have fallen headfirst, as brain matter was splattered out. It seemed they had fallen this way after a struggle.

What made it clear it was a fight between a zombie and a human was nothing else.

The contents spilled from their heads were distinctly different.

Perhaps it was fortunate that they didn’t revive as zombies after dying.

Still, they died together with the zombie that tried to kill them, so perhaps it felt a little less unfair.

Putting aside my complicated feelings, I rummaged through this room used as a storage.

“Oh…”

Powerful Slingshot.

A box with handwritten text in marker.

I opened it, and out popped what’s commonly called a slingshot.

But I couldn’t be disappointed.

“Damn, this is a real weapon.”

It had a sturdy metal body and four layers of seemingly highly elastic rubber bands.

I grabbed the leather pouch for the projectile and pulled it far back.

*Snap!*

A powerful sound, hard to believe came from rubber.

If I chose the projectiles well, it seemed quite useful.

Next to the slingshot box, there was a box of rubber bands of the same material, seemingly spare parts. And beneath that, a box as if it were a set.

The box, labeled ‘Slingshot Ammunition’, was full of steel balls.

There was a variety of sizes, from as small as a pinky fingernail to as large as a thumb fingernail.

If these high-carbon steel spheres were aimed well, it seemed possible to smash zombie heads.

There was only one box of slingshots, but several boxes of these spheres.

First, I took out one thumb-sized sphere.

I picked up the slingshot, placed the sphere in the pouch, and pulled back the rubber bands.

Pulling it to its limit, I aimed at the opposite wall.

*Thwack!*

The sensation of the steel sphere being fired was transmitted through the handle.

*Thud!*

The sound of it hitting the wall was incredibly dull.

When I went to check, the sphere was half-embedded in the wall.

If used well, it seemed possible to even put a hole in a zombie’s head.

I nodded with satisfaction and packed everything.

As I was about to look for more, a long wooden box caught my eye.

Curious, I tore open the lid and found a bow.

‘It’s not a toy. It’s real.’

A sleek-looking bow that felt like it was made with modern technology.

It looked over 1m, but was incredibly light.

‘Can bows be sold like this?’

I knew guns were illegal, but I wasn’t sure about bows.

In the current situation, I wasn’t in a position to be picky…

For now, I put it in my inventory.

Unfortunately, there was only one bow.

Instead, I could pack a considerable number of arrows.

Arrows capable of lethal damage, not just simple training.

There was a substantial quantity of arrows with aluminum arrowheads.

Crude, large wooden boxes used for large cargo.

Six boxes, as tall as me, were all filled with arrows.

Seeing the address written on each, it seemed they were scheduled for delivery.

I decided I’d make good use of them and took everything.

It was my first proper ranged weapon, so I was extremely satisfied.

It couldn’t compare to a gun, but there was no noise, so it was easy to use.

There was the issue of having to retrieve the arrows, but I figured it would somehow work out.

Other than that, there were no particular items of note.

I thought there would be military boots, but surprisingly, not a trace was seen.

However, I did find something unusual.

Rider armor… or should I say.

It was clothing with protective gear attached to a rider jacket, but it was ambiguous.

I had occasionally seen motorcyclists wearing them.

It looked cool and black, but it felt burdensome to wear.

“…I should give this to Jihyeok.”

If he wore it, he’d somehow pull it off.

I took both the men’s top and bottom, and the women’s set next to them.

If Shia wore the women’s set….

With that, I had taken as many items as I could.

Just as I thought that, I saw boxes stacked long at the entrance.

Several boxes of the same size were wrapped again with plastic film.

And an A4 paper was attached.

『MRE-C』

‘I’ve seen it somewhere. What was it? MRE… MRE…’

I stopped and retraced my memory.

Being a Korean major, it didn’t come to mind easily-

“Huh?”

Meals Ready To Eat

MRE as an abbreviation.

US military MREs, virtually illegal to acquire domestically.

For reasons unknown, they filled one side of the wall.

“Whoa…”

I hit the jackpot.