episode_0041

Darkness began to settle thickly over the streets, and a few streetlights dimly illuminated parts of the dark alley.

The acrid smell of rotting flesh mixed with the metallic scent of blood assaulted my nose.

The alley floor and building walls were decorated with fragments of what used to be zombies.

Currently, I couldn’t escape this scene, which was by no means beneficial to humans.

I faced the eyes of the young soldiers, filled with complex emotions.

The soldiers looked at me, my eyes darting around aimlessly because my mind had stopped functioning.

“…”

“…”

‘…What should I do?’

After Dong-woo, I had shown my berserk side to others.

Dong-woo had at least sworn to secrecy, but the people in front of me hadn’t.

I wasn’t trying to feign weakness or hide my power, but…

‘This is going to get troublesome….’

It was certain.

At first, it might be dismissed as crazy talk, but there were witnesses now.

What if the government or someone powerful learned about the current situation?

My life could be restricted, just like protagonists in superhero movies.

I could be captured and experimented on.

A leash could be put around my neck, and they could exploit me down to my very marrow.

Beings with powerful strength appear beautiful and incite intense possessiveness.

And people crave to get their hands on special things.

Especially those who grasp power or wealth.

Usually, such emotions are grotesquely ugly, to the point of making one shudder.

I knew it well from personal experience.

At that time, utterly exhausted, I ended up overexerting myself.

How much had I broken and destroyed in my truly enraged state?

But only then was I finally able to reclaim my life.

Yet now, I was in a moment where that situation might repeat itself.

I couldn’t just rampage and make a mess like I used to.

‘Let’s escape.’

My face was, coincidentally, covered by a neck warmer.

While considering various options, I was roused from my thoughts.

This was because the faint wails of zombies could be heard from far beyond the alley.

I briefly stared at the unseen end of the alley before turning my gaze away.

The soldiers were still dazed, but upon hearing the zombies’ cries, their bodies reacted first, startling them.

‘I should leave.’

I turned to get away from the soldiers who were still babbling.

“Wait a moment!”

The shout of a young soldier nearby.

At that sound, the soldiers, who were a beat late in coming to their senses, turned their attention to me and the soldier who had spoken. It was fortunate that they had lowered their guns.

“I am Sergeant Kang Incheol of the 52nd Division. Thank you for your help!”

“…”

“Excuse me, but could you tell us your affiliation?”

“…I’m just a civilian.”

“To say that, given how things are now—”

Groan—

Shriek—

The groans of zombies began to be heard from all directions.

All the soldiers raised their guns and began to scan their surroundings.

Their faces began to turn ashen, as if they couldn’t believe it wasn’t over even after enduring such chaos.

“S-Sergeant Kang-nim!”

“…Gritting my teeth!”

Sergeant Kang, the soldier I had been talking to, seemed somewhat calm.

He gritted his teeth and nervously scanned his surroundings.

Certainly, this was no time for a leisurely conversation.

Just as I thought that and was about to move, something caught my eye.

‘The marks are the same.’

Sergeant Kang wore the same unit mark as the two lieutenants who had asked me for help.

Looking at the other soldiers, they had different marks, except for one or two.

‘If I take these guys… it’ll be a good gift.’

After rescuing the survivors who had been desperately resisting, I realized they were valuable people who could serve as good leverage for me.

“Come with me.”

At my sudden proposal, the soldiers perked up their ears.

No fool would miss a bonus chance during a request.

I was no different.

“There are soldiers with the same unit mark as yours where I’m heading back.”

“R-Really?”

As I nodded, showing affirmation, hope flickered across the soldiers’ faces.

The soldiers agreed before I could say anything more.

Then they pointed to the messed-up convenience store.

“There are more people inside. We need to take them all.”

“How many more are there?”

“Including us, there are 18 in total.”

“…Let’s go inside for now.”

I figured I needed to assess the situation first, so I headed into the convenience store.

Inside, there was a mix of soldiers who hadn’t let their guard down and civilians huddled in fear. Among them, however, were men with clear, sharp eyes.

‘Looks like they have strong mental fortitude. And this woman….’

A female soldier was groaning, injured in the thigh.

As soon as I saw the sight, I raised my crowbar.

“What are you doing?!”

“Were you bitten?”

“?? Ah! No! I wasn’t bitten!!”

The startled soldiers shouted in a hurry.

After all, I had suddenly raised a large weapon dripping with blood….

“She was hit by shrapnel while fleeing!”

“Shrapnel?”

“We detonated a grenade, and unfortunately, she got hit by—”

“Hmm…”

Still, I felt I should check.

But perhaps sensing my hesitation, Sergeant Kang quickly added.

“W-we’ve seen it too! We know what happens if someone gets bitten! Is that what you’re worried about?”

At his words, I stared at Sergeant Kang without any reply.

‘If they watched that… it must have been a great shock….’

“If Lieutenant Lee had been bitten, she would have shot herself in the head. It’s definitely not that.”

“…Then I’ll just check for a moment.”

With Sergeant Kang’s vehement nod of permission, I examined the female soldier’s wound.

I had a soldier with relatively clean hands unwrap the towel.

My hands were dirty and contaminated.

…I didn’t know what effect it might have.

Untying the towel soaked with blood, the wound was clearly terrible.

It didn’t seem like a major wound to begin with.

‘The wound got larger from moving too much.’

The pain must have been severe, but she endured it remarkably.

There were no signs of the infection I had worried about.

There were no bite marks, ominous black veins, or discoloration.

The young soldier carefully re-tied the towel.

“Let’s move now.”

“M-move? Isn’t it dangerous now that it’s night?”

“Is there a place suitable for evacuation?”

At my words, the soldiers immediately prepared to move, while the civilians’ eyes widened in terror, showing resistance.

Only one person, in a calm tone, asked the crucial question.

My head tilted in confusion at the familiar way of speaking.

“There are soldiers at Yeongdeungpo Girls’ High School. There are quite a few people there too. And this person has lost a lot of blood. She won’t last long.”

At my words, everyone let out a low groan, looking at the lying female soldier with pity.

I continued speaking to help them make up their minds.

“There are military trucks nearby. Their condition isn’t bad, so I plan to take one of them.”

“?! Is it a K-511?”

“What’s a K-511?”

“Ah… N-never mind.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know much about those things since I haven’t served in the military.”

“Huh?”

The point of surprise was a bit odd.

I was already embarrassed enough that I hadn’t even fired a gun.

It was fortunate that these people hadn’t seen that scene.

“One truck is full of supplies, and let’s all get into the other intact truck and go.”

“The roads are a mess; can those big trucks get through?”

“I checked on the way here, and it seems one truck might be able to squeeze through. Of course, it’ll get heavily damaged, but there’s no other way right now.”

Everyone focused on my words, lest they miss a single one.

Turning to those people, I continued with a brief explanation.

“Normally, it would be right to move quietly on foot, but the conditions aren’t good. Everyone is exhausted, and there’s an injured person, but most importantly, we’re out of time.”

Looking at the female soldier’s condition, she should go straight to a hospital, but I didn’t know the hospital’s location, and there was a high chance there would be no doctors. Moreover, I didn’t know how to treat her.

Just in case, I checked if there were any medical professionals, but there weren’t.

“I couldn’t confirm if there’s a military doctor or physician at the school, but there’s a chance someone similar might be there.”

“…We will move.”

The soldiers decided as if there was nothing more to hear.

They seemed to care for the injured female soldier quite a lot.

The civilians also didn’t argue with the soldiers’ decision.

They merely stood up, as if it were obvious.

It seemed there was a reason why they had endured until now.

Looking at them, I asked for confirmation.

“Can you drive those vehicles?”

“I can.”

A soldier stepped forward, showing confidence.

Still, one person was missing.

At least two vehicles needed to be moved.

“I can too. I’m a former military driver.”

The civilian who stepped forward was the middle-aged man with the calm demeanor from earlier.

On the surface, he looked like someone who’d drive an expensive car, but being a former military driver, he was incredibly reliable.

I nodded and admonished everyone.

“You must not make loud noises while moving. Instead, jump if you have to. Even if you’re scared, just watch the person in front and follow. Even if it’s hard, you must maintain your distance.”

At my words, everyone blinked, then let out a light laugh.

Someone spoke, noticing my puzzled reaction.

“It’s exactly what Sergeant Kang said.”

“Oh, I just did what I learned.”

‘Oh….’

Sergeant Kang Incheol, the soldier.

He seemed to be quite strong in actual combat.

How easy and good it would be if people could just do as they learned.

The fact that he managed to do that while running through the crossroads of life and death was worthy of commendation itself.

Looking at Sergeant Kang, whom I saw in a new light, I continued.

“Do you have any bullets left?”

The soldiers shook their heads with heavy expressions.

It seemed they had exhausted all of them in the previous battle.

“Is anyone good at shooting or particularly strong?”

“Private Kang Ilbyeong.”

“…??”

“Ah. My name is the same as his. So my nickname is Little Kang, Jjakkang.”

“Then Sergeant Kang-nim is…”

“I am Big Kang.”

Smiling faintly, I handed Private Kang a slingshot and steel balls.

“Oh? This!”

“Have you used it before?”

“I’ve even caught a roe deer with this.”

Private Kang, who was fiddling with the slingshot with a very pleased expression, seemed unsuitably excited for the situation.

“My maternal grandfather taught me all sorts of odds and ends. With this, I could even pierce zombies’ heads.”

“It’s not as good as a gun, but it makes no sound and definitely smashes zombie heads.”

“!! Have you tried it?”

As I nodded, a strange gleam appeared in Private Kang’s eyes.

This side seemed fine.

After I finished speaking, at some point, Sergeant Kang was carrying the female soldier on his back.

No more words seemed necessary.

“I’ll take the lead.”

“Ah, no, we’ll take the lead—”

Ignoring them, I walked straight outside.

Behind me, the soldiers and people rushed out.

Perhaps because they were with soldiers, a formation was maintained.

The soldiers maintained a formation, encircling the civilians between them.

Holding their firearms with bayonets attached in place of empty magazines, their tense posture made them look like veteran warriors deployed for an operation.

A night breeze, cool to the point of being cold, blew.

I could feel my sweat-soaked clothes clinging to me, rapidly draining my body heat.

But I couldn’t rush.

There were people carrying the injured, and there were also civilians.

Everyone seemed to be in a state of extreme fatigue.

The mere fact that they were gritting their teeth and quietly following was a strong effort.

Seeing them reminded me of my own group.

There were no soldiers, but everyone who had trusted and followed me.

‘Should we eat some late-night snacks together when I get back?’

Thinking that, I scanned my surroundings.

Fortunately, nothing was moving in sight.

However.

Darkness enveloped everything, and the faint, echoing cries of zombies.

Elements that could plunge everyone into fear and weigh down their steps were provoking the people.

“The trucks are nearby. We just need to go a little further.”

To encourage them, I stated the plain truth.

Fortunately, even if just a little, the eyes of the trembling people changed.

“T-there it is!”

“Shush! Quiet!”

Exiting the alley, an unfitting sight appeared in the middle of the city.

A road that had lost its light, except for a few streetlights.

The streets, devoid of human presence and sound, were eerily desolate.

Would this be what it felt like to step naked into a dangerous area?

If it weren’t for the military vehicles visible ahead, I would have turned back immediately.

And that thought seemed to be shared by everyone, not just me.

Perhaps wanting to get out as quickly as possible, their pace quickened.

“Damn it… To think it’d be this close…”

“Tell me about it…”

My group and I stood before the vehicles.

The soldiers quickly moved, checking around the vehicles and maintaining vigilance.

Meanwhile, the soldier who could drive quickly inspected the vehicles.

“The vehicle loaded with supplies is a 5-ton truck. It looks like it will move. And this K-511 seems to be in the best condition.”

Based on his assessment, Sergeant Kang quickly gave orders, dividing the personnel.

It was decided that the soldier would drive the 5-ton truck, and the middle-aged man would drive the K-511.

Most of the personnel had to get into the K-511.

It was over capacity, but there was no other choice.

In the meantime, I took down a box of ammunition from the supplies stacked in the truck.

“Let’s check your weapons before we depart.”

“H-how did you find this?”

“I’m the one who loaded these supplies.”

“???”

It seemed they had more questions, but explanations would have to wait.

The soldiers quickly loaded their ammunition and took their magazines.

“Even if you see zombies, please refrain from shooting as much as possible.”

“…Because of the noise?”

I nodded at Private Kang’s words.

“Refrain as much as possible unless they cling to or climb onto the truck.”

It was a difficult request to accept, but the soldiers nodded heavily.

“This 5-ton truck. Is it powerful?”

“It’s not common… but it’s probably good.”

“Then we’ll push the zombies aside as we go. Is that possible?”

They had become monsters, but for now, they were zombies in human form.

There was a feeling of repulsion towards hitting them with a car and driving past—

“There won’t be a problem. Leave it to me.”

It seemed there wasn’t.

The soldiers and civilians finished their preparations in a short time.

They sat as close as possible, creating space, and the female soldier was gently laid on the floor.

Seeing people take off their coats to cover the female soldier’s body, I felt that warmth still remained in the world.

“It’s going to be very bumpy. Don’t panic, and hold down the injured person well.”

Everyone was ready.

I explained the route to the two men who were going to drive.

I wasn’t sure if they fully understood, but their expressions showed no problems.

The soldiers, who had been resupplied with live ammunition and even secured vehicles, were full of morale.

Finally, I exchanged glances with Sergeant Kang.

Sergeant Kang and I got into the 5-ton truck loaded with supplies.

Our vehicle took the lead, opening the way.

It was powerful and heavy, perfect for pushing through.

It wasn’t a long distance to our destination.

There was a chance of success.

‘Please, let’s just get through this safely.’

Amidst worries, the engines of the two military vehicles began to vibrate with powerful roars.

The trucks carrying us began to move across the darkness-consumed city, like whales swimming through a calm night sea.