episode_0052

When you do manual labor, you meet all sorts of people. Good people, bad people, strange people. Diligent people or lazy people. Competent people and incompetent people. From an employer’s perspective, as long as the job gets done well, that’s all that matters. But sometimes, among them, you see talented individuals you want to keep working with. And sometimes, someone truly exceptional emerges whom you absolutely want to recruit. A good-natured, diligent, and competent talent. In that sense, there’s one man who still stands out in my memory. He was called “Uncle Jeong,” then “Foreman Jeong,” and he received high daily wages. He was Chinese and in his sixties, but incredibly energetic. He always worked with a relaxed smile, seemingly without a break. On top of that, his dexterity was truly astonishing. He would grind scrap materials to quickly make knives instead of using industrial cutters. Whenever he had spare time, he’d tinker with something, and all sorts of tools would appear. He said he used to run a blacksmith shop in his home country, but I don’t know if it was true. However, everyone acknowledged his craftsmanship. Mr. Jeong, who often told various stories in clumsy Korean, calling out “Seonghan~ Seonghan~”, also had a knack for sharing seemingly useless trivia in an entertaining way back then. According to Mr. Jeong, it was hard to find a job because he was accused of illegal weapon manufacturing in his hometown. That’s why he quietly said he came all the way to Korea to do manual labor. And among the accusations was the manufacturing of various Molotov cocktails, and that’s when I first learned that making Molotov cocktails is illegal in many countries. As part of that, I’m now embarking on a task, relying on an imprecise memory.

“Damn, is this even right…?”

I’m currently fidgeting with my hands, putting various things into soju bottles. Sudden tool-making on a rooftop under a high, clear, blue sky. I’m making Molotov cocktails for zombies. Alcohol and liquor bottles, along with flammable substances and contents that might be usable. I had enough materials to make it worth a try. I remembered how incredibly effective divine power or fire was when dealing with the undead in the past. It’s an impulsive urge to try something before brute-forcing my way through. Relying on past memories that surfaced while chain-smoking, I’m now enthusiastically making Molotov cocktails. If these don’t work, I’ll just force my way in with brute strength.

First, I poured about a third of the soju into a large pot. I couldn’t get drunk with such a major undertaking ahead, nor could I throw it away, so I collected it. And then, the flammable materials. I filled them with olive oil and canola oil. I also added Zippo lighter fluid. Then, I added a large amount of sugar and shook it well to mix. For the fuse, I twisted toilet paper into a long strip, dipped it, and sealed the opening with tape. That way, I made exactly 10 bottles, just enough for the ingredients I had.

‘Ugh… it’ll work out, right?’

Worries flooded in as I looked at the illegally manufactured items in front of me. If all this effort turned out to be pointless, I’d be furious. With the slight nervousness that fluttered in my chest, like a student taking a practical exam, I picked up a bottle.

*Hiss—*

The fuse, soaked in oil, immediately caught fire.

‘The target is… over there.’

Near the entrance of Holly Sale, in a street packed with zombies. I targeted and threw the Molotov cocktail.

*Thud—!* *Whoosh—!*

The Molotov cocktail, flying in an elegant arc, hit a zombie precisely on the head. With the dull *thud* of the bottle breaking, the flames spread and clung to the nearby zombies. And then, ferocious flames began to engulf the zombies.

“Oh… it actually works?”

Mr. Jeong’s stories, which I thought were mere exaggerations, were true. Mr. Jeong, remembered for his gentle demeanor, saw his stock rapidly rise. The crudely improvised Molotov cocktails were displaying unexpected firepower. If I ever met Mr. Jeong again, I’d want to include him in my party, no matter what. In just a moment, the range of the flames was gradually expanding. The fire, burning the zombies like dry kindling, was steadily gaining momentum.

‘They say cooking oil is hard to extinguish once it catches fire…’

After roughly confirming the range, I immediately started throwing more Molotov cocktails. Hoping for the zombies to burn over a wider area, I spaced out my throws. The dull *thud* of breaking bottles accompanied by soaring flames. Perhaps due to the sugar, the sticky, clinging fire didn’t extinguish easily. Once it clung, it stubbornly engulfed the zombies. And its range gradually widened, and its speed slightly increased. Furthermore, an unexpected side effect emerged. The zombies, perhaps realizing the fire on their bodies, belatedly began to writhe. As more and more zombies writhed, the range of the fire expanded. Since they were densely packed, unable to move, the effect was outstanding. In addition, even zombies far away rushed towards the flames. Like moths drawn to a burning ember. I thought the fire might die out because of the zombies covering it, but it was a needless worry. Soon after, the newly spread fire intensified and blazed.

“Woah…!”

Not only the area around the Holly Sale entrance but also a significant portion of the road was engulfed in flames. More precisely, the number of zombies dancing like flaming colts increased. Thanks to them burning themselves so well, I started to get excited. If this were a game, it would be a powerful one-shot mob hunt. It wasn’t a game, so my experience didn’t rise, but my excitement levels soared. Riding the momentum, I threw all the remaining Molotov cocktails. The sound of soaring flames amidst the zombies’ mournful cries echoing all around felt majestic.

‘Good. Very good!’

If things went well, there was an expectation that the entrance would be breached. As expected, zombies are weak to fire. The Molotov cocktails, despite being hastily made, showed outstanding effectiveness. A smile spread across my face at the excellent effect, which made my worries seem pointless. While waiting, the smell of burning rotten flesh began to spread mercilessly. I was frowning and considering leaving for a moment. Then, something caught my eye.

“Huh? Is that…??”

The rapidly spreading flames had, at some point, spread to the abandoned cars. Flames instantly shot up from beneath the cars, beginning to engulf the wrecked vehicles as well.

“I-is this okay? Why are the cars catching fire?”

The original plan was to infiltrate once only the area around the entrance was clear. But now, the range of the spreading fire was growing wider and wider.

*Shatter—!!*

The car windows, consumed by fire and now burning fiercely, began to shatter. Starting with that, the sound of glass breaking could be heard from all directions.

*Crack—!! Smash—!! Boom—!!*

“Woah… what the hell?”

I involuntarily flinched. As one car began to burn, black smoke and flames shot up from various places. Zombies were burning on the road, and wrecked cars were burning on the road. And the momentum did not diminish. Rather, it felt as if the fire was gaining vitality by consuming more fuel. And now, that sight felt extremely dangerous.

“Ah! Hot!”

Even though the flames were five floors below, the heat washed over my face. The heat from the simultaneously magnified flames was truly immense. The smell of burning zombies and the acrid smell of burning wrecked cars were unbearably potent. I instinctively covered my mouth and turned my head away. When I came to my senses, I realized that the fire, which had started around the Holly Sale entrance, was now burning down the entire road area.

“No, this isn’t right? Is this okay—”

*Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiss—*

Suddenly, a very dangerous-sounding noise came from the middle of the road. My eyes followed the sound and found something that made me doubt myself.

“Gah! Damn it!!”

There was no telling why they were right in the middle of it. Loaded onto the burning blue delivery truck were elongated green steel containers. Oxygen tanks and gas cylinders, as tall as a person, used at construction sites. More than a dozen of these tanks, strapped to a case, were making a precarious sound. That precarious sound was oxygen or gas leaking.

‘It’s going to, going to explode!’

As soon as I instinctively knew it would explode, I covered my ears, opened my mouth, and crouched down. Just as I hit the ground on my stomach…

*KABOOOOOOOOM—!!*

*Boom—! Boom—! Crash—! Boom—!* *CRASH—!*

Unluckily, they weren’t empty tanks, and the explosion was enormous. The explosive force was strong enough to shake my body, which was pressed flat against the ground. Followed by a series of subsequent explosions. The sounds of the zombies, which seemed as if they would never stop, ceased. The rupturing sound of glass shattering burst forth from all directions. To make matters worse, some wrecked cars, not content with just burning, exploded a beat later.

‘Ughh!! Damn it! Damn it!!’

I swear, I had no intention of escalating things this far.

*CRASH—!! BOOM—!!*

…I really just wanted to create a small opening.

*WHOOSH—!!*

I couldn’t see it while lying prone on the ground, but judging by the heat on my back, a massive inferno had clearly erupted. When no more explosions were heard, I cautiously stood up and looked down.

“Hah…”

The entire Holly Sale building area was devastated. Perhaps due to the aftermath of the explosion, all the zombies were sprawled on the ground. There was nothing that wasn’t burning, be it the corpses on the road or the cars on the road. The intensely surging flames and black smoke felt threatening. The heat was so intense that it made me instinctively pull back from the rooftop railing.

*Grooooooan—!!* *Shrieeeeek—!!* *Roaaaaaar—!!*

Was it because of the massive explosion? Zombies burst out from inside the building without restraint. From the higher floors, they were outright leaping down. Chaos erupted in the Holly Sale building directly opposite. From the second to the fifth floor, which seemed to be a parking lot, zombies burst through temporary walls and jumped down. Zombies were also pouring out through the entrance. From the building I was standing on, zombies were also bursting out and falling. Like raindrops falling from the sky, or water gushing from the ground. Endlessly pouring zombies. The zombies blindly rushed towards the flames that were burning the street. The flames swallowed the zombies and blazed even more fiercely. An unquenchable fire and endlessly rushing zombies. I don’t know if hell truly exists. But I think I can make a comparison. The sight before my eyes now was like watching demons writhing in the inferno of hell.

“…”

Hordes of zombies rushing from all directions, as if they had been hiding somewhere. A fiercely intense fire that seemed to never die out. Black smoke rising with the force to cover the entire area. A fiery hell was unfolding in one entire section in the middle of the city. A Molotov cocktail attack started with the intention of just creating a small opening. The protagonists: just 10 small soju bottles. My small attempt had created a catastrophe worthy of front-page news.