episode_0048

It felt like the refreshing cleanliness after tidying up trash that had cluttered a room.

Putting that feeling aside, I shifted my gaze.

I finished talking with the lieutenants who had been awkwardly standing by my side.

“Once the treatment for our injured companions is somewhat finished, we’ll be leaving here.”

“Seonghan…”

“Then…”

I didn’t want to talk for long.

I could only say that this incident was truly lucky.

Any one of our companions might have died.

What if those guys had started things a little earlier?

What if I had arrived a little later?

There’s no knowing what outcome would have awaited us.

One thing was for sure: if we had faced a worse result, it would never have ended like this.

Thoughts of my own complacency spiraled.

But the light weight on my arm pulled me out of my thoughts.

Next to me, Shia was looking at me with a worried expression.

For now, I pushed aside my worries.

Taking Shia, who was still clinging to my arm, I headed towards our companions.

Perhaps the soldiers had taken them, as Byeongsu and Bomi were not visible.

“Hyung-nim, everyone went to the infirmary.”

“The infirmary?”

“Ah, the school nurse’s office.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Guided by Dong-woo, who had been waiting, we headed to the temporary infirmary.

In the infirmary, several patients were receiving treatment.

Among them, lying down were Young-cheol and Byeongsu.

And also the female soldier we had brought with us.

Two civilian doctors were examining the patients, and a military doctor was also visible.

‘If only I could trust military doctors.’

According to military stories, all a military doctor knows is iodine.

There’s no way I can entrust our companions to them.

I gently detached Shia from my arm and carefully examined her.

The young woman’s appearance was a mess.

Bomi, who was also receiving treatment, didn’t look good either.

Jihyeok hyung, who had followed at some point, had bruised and swollen hands.

“Hyung, did you fight?”

“W-well… I couldn’t just stand there.”

Hyung scratched his head and averted his gaze, an apologetic expression on his face.

He seemed to be blaming himself for not being able to protect everyone.

I had no intention of blaming him.

This handsome man in front of me had tried his best.

His badly damaged hands were proof.

‘This hyung also has quite a temper.’

It seemed he went wild against the gangsters, which showed he wasn’t lacking in courage.

Our Kim Jihyuk, seen in a new light.

“You worked hard, hyung.”

“…Yeah, thanks.”

He didn’t say much, but his expression softened a little.

After taking a breath, annoyance welled up.

Our companions had just barely begun to recover their physical condition.

But as soon as they arrived here, they were in shambles within 12 hours.

‘As expected, it was good to let them go.’

I hadn’t let the gangsters go for nothing.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to sleep, feeling unsatisfied.

But before that…

“How are our companions?”

I asked the civilian doctor about our companions’ condition.

The doctor, slightly startled by my blood-stained appearance, quickly composed himself and calmly explained.

The contusions were severe, but no bones were broken.

It wasn’t definite, but no internal bleeding was suspected either.

They said that with medication and proper rest, they could fully recover.

However, there was a problem.

“Both the soldier and this person have head injuries that need stitches, but…”

“And?”

“We don’t have the medicine.”

“You don’t?”

“To be precise, it was damaged on the way here…”

If we weren’t aiming for natural recovery, we needed to take some action, but the necessary items weren’t available.

I should have visited a hospital earlier, but being distracted by food was the problem.

Just in case, I asked what was needed.

There might be something useful among the things we had looted from pharmacies.

However, the doctor needed more specialized medical supplies.

‘Haa… damn it, really…’

I controlled my crumbling expression.

Getting annoyed now wouldn’t change anything.

Acting quickly would be much more beneficial.

Without thinking, I immediately asked the doctor.

“What kind of medicine do you need?”

“Pardon? Ah, that is…”

I gave up listening to the explanation and asked him to write it down in detail.

As an layman, I couldn’t understand it by words alone.

“Oppa?”

“Seonghan, are you leaving now?”

I nodded slightly, pointing to Young-cheol.

Blood was still seeping slightly from Young-cheol’s head as he lay there.

My instinct was to stay by my companions’ side.

But in the current situation, if they don’t get proper treatment while a doctor is present, who knows what negative effects might remain. I’ll go quickly and then rest. It’s a simple plan.

This time, none of my companions tried to stop me.

However, their faces weren’t good, unable to hide their complicated feelings.

“Hyung, the gangsters said they hid a gun in a corner of the classroom ceiling where they were staying. Go find it and protect our companions.”

“…Understood.”

I handed the pistol to Jihyeok hyung without a long explanation.

But my intention seemed to be fully conveyed, as a firm resolve settled on his face.

“We will assist you as well.”

Turning around, I saw Sergeant Kang and his soldiers standing there; I didn’t know when they had arrived.

I was grateful that they stepped forward without hesitation despite the danger.

“I’m sorry, but it’s faster if I move alone.”

“…That makes sense. Understood.”

Sergeant Kang, who had directly witnessed my fighting, didn’t argue.

He seemed quick-witted for a soldier.

“It’s not much of a substitute, but could you please protect our companions?”

“Are these your companions?”

I nodded slightly and added,

“If you’re doing this because you want to repay us for saving you, I’d like to settle it by having you protect my companions.”

“Understood. You can count on us.”

Seeing Sergeant Kang accept without a moment’s hesitation made me suspicious.

Sergeant Kang grinned and replied,

“I know why you’re saying that. Don’t worry.”

“Our Sergeant Kang has some pull, you see.”

“Hey, watch your mouth.”

“…Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Sergeant Kang was indeed quick-witted.

He seemed to have understood what I was concerned about.

I lightly patted Shia’s shoulder, as she was looking at me with eyes full of worry.

Just then, the doctor handed me the completed memo.

“Where can I get these?”

“If you look here…”

The doctor pointed to a spot on a simple map and explained.

“It’s a bit large for a neighborhood hospital, so it should have at least the basic necessities.”

“You know it well.”

“I used to work there until I got fired.”

The middle-aged doctor said with a grin.

Was he easygoing or just blunt?

“Get ready. I’ll be back within an hour.”

My words surprised the people slightly, but they didn’t say anything else.

Without delay, I set out immediately.

It wasn’t far.

It wouldn’t even take an hour.

‘I’m lucky.’

It also provided a convenient excuse to go outside.

And there were other things I needed to do besides getting medicine.

I shifted my gaze away from the hospital and immediately began running down the dark street.

It was easy to find the path the gangsters must have taken.

I just had to follow the droplets of blood on the ground.

Fresh blood drops on the dried, dark red bloodstains stood out.

As expected, the gangsters hadn’t gone far and soon came into view.

Coincidentally, they were moving in the same direction as me.

I quietly stalked the nearly thirty gangsters from behind.

I considered attempting a surprise attack immediately but then changed my mind.

An interesting thought crossed my mind.

‘They say live bait is best for fishing, right?’

I looked forward to what would happen after such a large group entered the hospital.

Probably all the zombies inside would crawl out, and chaos would ensue.

I didn’t think those miserable bugs would survive.

Just looking at their current movement confirmed it.

Most were carrying injured ones on their backs.

A few with free hands were leading the way, clearing a path.

The gangsters were taking care of the occasional zombies that appeared.

But even clearing just a few zombies looked precarious for them.

As expected, they were just that kind of people.

‘If they had that much guts, how good would it have been if they had helped the soldiers instead?’

I briefly watched the struggling bugs with a meaningless thought.

They were holding on better than expected, which was quite entertaining to watch.

It was like watching a well-made B-grade movie.

Of course, a movie has an ending waiting, and their end was already determined.

Unaware that the climax was approaching, they reached the hospital.

The hospital was closer than I thought.

The hospital was still lit, as if it still had some function.

Unaware of what lay ahead or that I was behind them, they immediately began to enter the hospital, urged by the gangster boss on one of their backs.

Once they messed up the hospital, the rest would be simple.

Either I go in and take them all down, or I secretly grab the medicine and flee.

There was no scenario in my simple plan where they survived.

Unaware of my thoughts, they were surprisingly doing well.

Inside, zombie roars and the shouts of struggling men mixed together.

And it became a pleasant reverberation, touching my eardrums.

However, there weren’t as many zombies as expected, and soon it quieted down.

And the silence was immediately broken.

Groooaaan-!!

Aaaaaargh!!

‘What was that?’

An unpleasant roar that drowned out the screams of multiple humans.

It was different from the sounds of zombies I had heard so far.

The feeling of my hair standing on end was also more distinct.

Suddenly, one zombie flashed through my mind.

The grotesque zombie from before, with its unusually tough build.

The appearance of an unexpected variable.

There was no need to wait any longer, so I immediately ran to the hospital entrance.

Once inside, it didn’t take long for me to find the source of the sound.

Zombie corpses visible from the very entrance.

And pieces of what used to be human flesh.

“Cough… s-save me-”

“…Huh?”

Not just dead, but torn apart, bodies decorated the hospital corridor chaotically. And at the end of it, one zombie held onto a single human.

Its appearance was similar to the grotesque zombie I had seen before.

Its hideous, nauseating appearance was generally similar, but its arms were much longer.

Its long, dangling arms reached below its knees.

And the long arms looked very sturdy.

Besides the zombie corpses, there were mangled human bodies mixed in.

That thing hadn’t bitten people; it had torn them all to death.

Leaving only the one person it held in its hand.

The zombie, whose eyes met mine as I surveyed the surroundings, slowly lifted the human.

The human, trembling and convulsing, was Lee Deokgyu.

“Save me! Save-”

Crunch!

Lee Deokgyu’s tearing scream echoed down the hallway.

Fortunately, no zombie roars or footsteps were heard.

Inside were only that strange zombie and Lee Deokgyu, who was about to become a zombie.

‘What is this bastard?’

The zombie threw Lee Deokgyu to the floor, having only bitten him once, and made no further moves. Lee Deokgyu thrashed on the floor, slowly losing his breath.

The zombie just watched him.

Lee Deokgyu, who was drenching himself in his own blood gushing from his bitten neck, soon drew his last breath.

And then, just like zombies always did, he began to transform into a zombie, thrashing wildly.

However, something was different.

The sound of bones twisting loudly burst forth without pause.

It was completely different from any zombie transformation I had witnessed before.

“Oh…”

The transformation of what was Lee Deokgyu didn’t take long.

Only the outline of his face remained from his living appearance.

Even that was covered in cadaverous skin and severely bulging black veins.

More than anything, I didn’t know if I could even call that a zombie.

It didn’t stand on two legs like other zombies.

It naturally rested on all fours, as if it had always been that way.

A spider… no, it was very similar to the posture and body of a camel cricket.

Perhaps the sound of bones twisting was preparation for this.

With its neck elongated, in a pose impossible for a human, it stared at me.

Its eyes were wide open, as if it had no eyelids.

Its discolored pupils were unusually clear.

And it clearly recognized me.

It was different from any zombie I had seen before.

Click- Clack-

Click- Clack-

The two zombies made similar sounds.

Like animals exchanging signals.

And slowly, they began to burn with hostility towards me.

I could easily tell by their dangerously glinting eyes.

“Seriously. Are you saying you want to fight?”

I pulled out the crowbar from my inventory.

The crowbar, not yet wiped clean, gleamed with the copious zombie fluids sticking to it.

It felt as dangerous as the glint in the zombies’ eyes.

I gripped my formidable partner’s body.

“Do you think you can beat me just because you’ve rejuvenated?”

I didn’t know if they understood my words or just reacted to my voice.

But…

Roaaar-!!

Shrieeeek-!!

The two zombies responded with different-pitched screams and began to rush at me.