episode_0056

Running through the night, I was on my way back to the school where my companions were waiting.

Until now, the streets, whether by night or day, had only shown zombies, which were not visually beneficial at all. But now, living people began to appear.

And there were quite a lot of them.

This wasn’t just one group.

There were people who formed parties in small groups, groups of ten or fewer, and even individuals or families.

There were also parties comprised solely of sturdy men.

I couldn’t know their inner workings, but the majority were groups formed by people of various ages.

It was impulsive, but I slowed my movement and observed them whenever they caught my eye.

They protected their limbs with thick coverings and carried crudely made weapons.

Tools easily found at home or nearby, like kitchen knives or hammers, had been repurposed as weapons, deviating from their original use.

Behind the trembling fear, these armed people willingly risked their lives for survival.

It was clear they were tense with the fear of death and the monstrous zombies, but there was also a glimpse of grim determination.

The people I secretly observed from the building varied greatly.

But the common thread was that they had begun to struggle for survival.

People’s spirits had begun to awaken.

Given the atmosphere, it seemed reasonable to interpret it that way.

Even with the disaster of zombies and the element of hunger, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

Reality is different from fairy tales.

These were modern people, accustomed to a life of peace and comfort.

I thought most wouldn’t survive in a dying world.

‘…They’re desperate.’

As if mocking my thoughts, people were advancing step by step with desperate resolve, moving towards survival.

With the zombies’ cries as a soundtrack, they pushed through the chaos and acted.

There were also people who were injured, suffered damage, or fell to zombies.

Nevertheless, there were also those who successfully procured supplies and returned with a sense of triumph.

It was my misjudgment, based on an underlying pessimistic mindset.

Among those securing food at convenience stores or supermarkets, there were even young people who looked like students.

‘…Is this a Korean ethnic characteristic?’

A nation with many geniuses.

A populace assessed to have high potential.

The more critical the situation, the more they unite.

Everyone refuses to yield when things get tough.

It felt as if an inherent passive ability flowing in the blood of Koreans had awakened.

Right now, stepping outside the house isn’t just dangerous; it’s directly linked to death.

People began to band together and move.

Some failed and fell, but many overcame.

All I could say was that it was incredible.

As I continued to move, people occasionally appeared in various parts of the city.

The city’s night streets, which had only been filled with the grotesque cries of zombies, now also held the careful, bustling movements of people.

Now, I would have to compete with numerous survivors to obtain supplies.

It was fortunate that I was ahead of others in many respects.

It was a celebratory thing for survivors to rise up.

But there were also cases where it wasn’t so.

Humans who chose lawlessness instead of unity and coexistence.

Humans who enjoyed fighting death, rather than merely fighting it.

To ‘enjoy’ meant looting and slaughter.

Groups of thugs were attacking people.

They enjoyed taking supplies and lives.

They killed the men and tried to ruin the women.

Just like what I saw right in front of me now.

‘Those damn thugs, always….’

***

Although it was very late, I stopped briefly when I was almost at the school.

It was to pack supplies for myself and my companions.

Given the handicap of not being able to reveal my inventory, while it was annoying, the feeling of preparing a survival backpack wasn’t entirely bad.

Any man would have some curiosity about camping or survival.

Reality was messed up, but I tended to think of it as just getting into the mood.

I wanted the food for my companions and me to be quite luxurious, so I took out plenty.

Thinking about the hardships of the cold night, I took out sleeping bags.

Along with some items I’d kept stashed away.

‘I wanted to try this out sometime.’

A jige-style backpack I hadn’t used yet.

It was a backpack that elegantly modernized the traditional jige one might see in the countryside.

I had heard it was useful for mountain climbing or fishing.

When I’d collected various things at the Army Express before, I’d brought everything, including this. It was like unwrapping it for the first time.

I chose it because I could carry a considerable amount as long as my stamina allowed.

Even though it was large capacity, one or two duffel bags felt insufficient.

I piled it high, indulging my desire to test it out, and the amount was considerable.

It seemed like equipment that suited me quite well, given my excellent strength and stamina.

As I finished packing and was heading towards the school,

a loud scream echoed from ahead.

It was a woman’s scream, almost like she was yelling.

A small child’s cry was also audible.

I didn’t need to look far; it was clearly visible right now.

A family of three was surrounded and threatened by a group of six.

‘Those damn thugs, always….’

It hadn’t been long since I was deeply impressed by the sight of ordinary people fighting zombies just to survive.

If they were people who lived on the rough bottom, they might be able to survive if they were a bit more determined. But those guys chose the easy path.

Just like they always did.

I had realized long ago that people don’t change.

Seeing them act like this even in such a situation, they were truly a consistent bunch.

Disgusted, I approached, intending to intervene.

It was less than 20 meters, but they didn’t notice me.

‘Idiots.’

The man, who appeared to be the husband, was resisting even as he was being trampled.

The woman, who appeared to be the wife, was screaming fiercely to protect her husband and child, even with her hair grabbed.

“You bastards! Let go of him! Don’t hit my husband!”

“Wow~ Look at her, she’s so feisty. It makes me tingle just watching.”

“Hahaha~ This is crazy. Let’s see if she’s feisty down there too.”

“Forget that weak husband. Why don’t you try with us—”

“Yeah, try it! You bastards! I’ll suck you dry so you’ll cum fast! Try it! Come on!”

“Th-this crazy bitch….”

The woman, grinding her teeth fiercely and reacting roughly, was truly threatening.

At the thugs’ vulgar words, the husband tried to thrash, but it was futile.

But even as he was trampled, he managed to bite one of their legs.

Incensed by this, the thugs began to show no mercy in their actions.

The couple seemed precarious in many ways, and the child beside them, who appeared to be their daughter, was trembling and crying.

“Try to resist some more, huh?”

One of the rather burly thugs stepped forward.

It was as if he was about to kick the child.

‘Is he insane?’

When the child was in danger, the woman’s resistance finally weakened.

Taking advantage of the opening, the thugs charged.

“Don’t touch the child! Don’t touch her! Agh!”

Those bastards started hitting the woman, and now they seemed intent on touching the child too.

‘Really going to kick her? The child?’

I quickly pulled out my slingshot.

I loaded the smallest pellet.

For guys like them, who aren’t even zombies, this felt a bit wasteful.

I stretched it back—

I pulled the ammunition pouch back with all my might.

The highly elastic special rubber stretched to its limit.

‘I won’t kill them. Not yet.’

Snap—!

Thwack—!!

“Aghhh?! M-my leg!!”

“What? What’s going on!”

‘Oh, wow….’

Since he was about to kick the child, I aimed for his knee.

But the steel pellet, no bigger than a pinky fingernail, shattered his knee and went straight through.

The bastard who was hit probably couldn’t comprehend the situation, but I saw it clearly.

The power of the special rubber band, stretched to its tensile limit by my strength, was enormous.

Before, when I took out a few zombies, I thought it was because the pellets were large.

‘This thing is indeed dangerous, unlike its appearance.’

While I was marveling, the thugs noticed me.

They seemed startled for a moment, but then they spewed curses and charged at me.

It seemed like my friends in this dark world couldn’t maintain their bravado without cursing.

Actually, the gleaming blades in their hands looked more dangerous.

Since they were so excited to come running to greet me, I ought to treat them properly.

That was what I learned about the ways of the pugilistic world.

I aimed for the knees and fired steel pellets at them in the order they ran towards me.

The dull thud of bones breaking and the distinct screams matched remarkably well.

Among them, there were some who screamed like sopranos.

After firing 5 shots in a row and experimenting with power adjustment,

I found that pulling it to its tensile limit allowed for penetration.

Pulling it a little less could embed it within the body.

Around half of the maximum tension would embed it in the outer skin.

The steel pellets were one thing, but the tension of the rubber band was considerable.

It seemed difficult to pull it to its maximum without good strength and technique.

It was clear that it could be used as a weapon, even if I wasn’t the one using it.

Whether the opponent was a zombie or a human.

I put away my slingshot and approached the family of three.

While stepping on the thugs.

Bugs are best when trampled.

And I didn’t just step on them.

When I got closer, the man’s state was beyond words.

Especially with his mouth covered in so much blood, one might even mistake him for a zombie.

Even in that state, he was struggling to try and get up.

The woman wasn’t injured, but her appearance was quite disheveled.

Her disheveled hair and thoroughly ruined clothes.

‘No wonder those guys were trying to hit on her.’

The woman in front of me was remarkably beautiful.

Her figure, not like that of a mother, was impressive.

As were her eyes, fixed on me with intense wariness.

The child was trembling uncontrollably, utterly terrified.

Her mouth was agape, but she seemed too shocked to speak.

Her eyes, brimming with tears, were fixed on her parents.

She seemed deeply traumatized, but fortunately, she wasn’t hurt.

“My baby. Come to Mommy.”

The woman, her voice hoarse, quickly called the child.

But the child couldn’t move a muscle.

The woman who called the child also seemed to have lost strength in her body, unable to steady herself.

Watching for a moment, I lowered my neck warmer and approached the child.

“You, you! Wait! Don’t—”

I stopped about three steps away from the child.

And slowly bent one knee.

To be at the child’s eye level as much as possible.

And very slowly, I extended my palm.

“Mommy’s calling. Let’s go to Mommy.”

I spoke slowly and softly so the child wouldn’t get more startled.

The child, alternating glances between her mother and me, slowly walked over.

The child lightly placed her hand on my palm, and I gently clasped it.

Then I slowly guided her to her parents.

Only after holding her child did the woman begin to sob uncontrollably.

In her mother’s embrace, the child burst into a childlike cry.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

The woman, holding her child, bowed deeply as she thanked me.

It was a regrettable scene, but awkward.

“Don’t make loud noises; zombies might gather.”

At the word ‘zombies,’ the family startled.

They quickly shook their heads vigorously, as if trying to regain their senses.

The fallen man struggled to get up somehow.

The woman tried to help him, but she herself swayed.

And the child was on the verge of panic.

‘What should I do?’

If zombies appeared, I could just throw those squirming, fleeing thugs at them. But these people couldn’t move…

“Can you walk?”

“Yes. Somehow.”

“I’ll carry your husband, so take care of the child.”

“B-but where are you going?”

In response to the mother’s urgent question, I put down my pack and said,

“There’s a girls’ high school nearby. There are soldiers there too.”

“Soldiers?! Is it safe there?”

“Safer than here, for now.”

I answered briefly and helped the man, who couldn’t move well, to his feet.

My pack was cumbersome, but it didn’t hinder my movement too much.

The woman was startled to see me lift the man with ease, but she quickly composed herself and stood up, hugging her child tightly and dearly.

Just moments ago, she couldn’t even steady herself, but now she was holding her child and standing up.

‘Is this maternal love?’

It truly was an astonishing power.

Feeling intrigued, I spoke to the family of three to reassure them.

“There’s also a doctor there, so you’ll be able to get treatment.”

“Are you a soldier?”

“No. I have companions there.”

“Ah… Thank you so much. Really….”

The woman, repeatedly expressing her gratitude, choked up again but managed to hold it in.

Then, as if something occurred to her, she quickly turned back.

“Those bastards…!”

Her face was so filled with indignation that it looked like it would burst.

“The baby will get scared.”

“Ah….”

At my words, the woman quickly changed her expression.

And she stroked the child’s face as if handling a precious treasure.

“Let’s go for now. It’s not far.”

“Ah! Yes!”

I started heading to the girls’ high school with the family of three.

The mother’s expression had softened, but her eyes blazed.

The father mumbled curses at the thugs while groaning.

I quietly spoke to the two of them.

“Those guys are going to have a very hard time from now on.”

“?!”

Words to this extent should be comforting.

I shattered their knees with the slingshot.

When I stepped on the thugs, I crushed the areas I touched.

That’s why those guys are still squirming over there.

They’ll suffer quite a bit from now on.

‘If they survive, that is.’

The mother nodded, as if she had realized something from my words.

After that, I didn’t hear any more curses.

Instead, continuous expressions of gratitude came my way.

I apologize, but I hadn’t intended to help.

If I had, I would have stepped in much earlier.

I just didn’t like seeing the child getting hit, and I didn’t like those thugs acting up.

So, even though I received their thanks, I didn’t respond much.

The mother also fell silent not long after.

Instead, she diligently moved her feet, following closely behind me.

Though unseen, the child seemed to have calmed down a little too.

In the quiet atmosphere, the family of three and I continued to walk.

And soon we arrived at the main gate of the girls’ high school, where we received an enthusiastic(?) welcome from the soldiers.