episode_0065

Mutants are dangerous.

I’d only encountered them twice, but they were impressive foes.

Even regular zombies are dangerous enough.

But the mutants, living up to their name, boast a different level of high danger. They’re called mutants, but considering their appearance and abilities, I think that’s not an insufficient evaluation.

There was no other reason for holding back on talking about such dangerous creatures.

‘There’s no need to borrow trouble anyway.’

Although I’d fought three mutants, I knew nothing about them.

How many there were, how they came into existence.

How high the probability of encountering them outside was.

There was nothing clear, and I didn’t want to burden their minds.

More than anything, I didn’t want to add to the anxiety of my companions, who were currently engaged in prolonged outdoor activity.

But seeing Captain Choi’s reaction, I wondered if it was a bit selfish of me.

Should I have left the judgment to my companions and just told them the facts?

The fear of the newly encountered unknown enemy had spread to my companions.

…For now, I should reassure them.

With that thought, I calmly began to speak.

“I know about the mutants.”

“…Mutants? You knew?”

“Once when I saved Private Kang Ilbyeong’s group, and once when I went to the hospital to get medicine.”

At my words, everyone’s eyes widened like lanterns.

They were truly surprised.

Captain Choi, in particular, was so shocked he almost bit his tongue.

“Y-you faced such things twice?”

“Hmm. To be exact, it was three of them. I encountered two at the hospital.”

“H-how on earth…?”

Captain Choi’s hands trembled, perhaps still affected by the shock of the past incident.

His eyes, though subtly, also trembled, which was pitiful.

He parted his lips as if to ask something, then pressed them tightly shut.

He was probably curious about how I survived after encountering such creatures.

Captain Choi was one of the people who had physically experienced the danger of the mutants.

It was understandable for him to think that way.

“I took care of all of them.”

“N-no way. They were creatures that even grenades couldn’t kill…”

“W-wait a minute. Captain-nim. Zombies that even grenades can’t kill?”

At Hyuk hyung’s startled reaction to the mutants’ durability, which made them hard to kill, the others were surprised too. They probably hadn’t imagined there would be monsters worse than zombies.

I spoke quietly to my visibly flustered companions.

Briefly about the mutants I had encountered.

The mutants’ strength and danger.

I mentioned their visual appearance, which was hard to look at.

I expected that even if they encountered one for the first time, they would immediately recognize it.

The cramped truck bed was simply silent.

To break the heavy atmosphere, I spoke what needed to be said.

“You don’t have to worry about the mutants.”

“Seonghan. Even so…”

“They are definitely dangerous creatures, that’s true.”

“……”

“But I’m more dangerous.”

“…What?”

“I can deal with… no, I can kill those creatures.”

Everyone held their breath and stared at me.

“As proof, Captain Choi, the soldiers, and I are all still alive, aren’t we?”

They must have been too surprised and flustered to think.

It was natural for people to react with disbelief.

Amidst the negative emotions, there was only one person who remained calm.

“If Hyung says so, then… But are those mutants really that dangerous?”

Dong-woo appeared not just calm, but utterly nonchalant.

The grandfather and grandmother beside him wore expressions that seemed to ask what on earth was wrong with him.

“It’s a guess, but even if more than ten zombies rushed them, they wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

“What do you mean ten? I told you, they’re creatures that couldn’t be killed with guns or bombs!”

“Then how did Hyung catch them?”

Captain Choi was on the verge of wailing, while Dong-woo was carefree.

It was like the difference between a hot bath and a cold bath.

Watching the two of them, I subtly smiled.

“What did I say earlier?”

“Earlier? Uh…”

“Head?”

Shia interjected from the side.

I smiled faintly and nodded.

“That’s right. The weakness is the same.”

“Ohh!! So?”

“I’ll show you if I get the chance. Of course, it’s best not to encounter them at all.”

The companions’ reactions, watching the relaxed conversation between Dong-woo and me, were bewildered. But what could be done?

“It’s all true, so let’s leave it at that. What would I gain by lying to all of you?”

Hearing my words, they seemed to finally come to their senses a bit.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me. I can do a little more than you think, and hunting mutants is just one of those things.”

Additionally, I emphasized that mutants were not the type of creatures to be seen easily, reassuring my companions even a little.

After a short while, the grandfather spoke.

“You’re certainly good at startling people.”

“I had intended to tell you later, but I didn’t expect it to happen like this.”

At my apologetic words, the grandfather waved his hand dismissively.

Captain Choi also bowed his head and apologized.

A deep apology for needlessly frightening the people with his words.

Actually, Captain Choi’s reaction was natural.

I believe it only stopped at this level because it was him.

If it had been someone other than Captain Choi, who had aspects similar to Hyuk hyung, they would surely have frothed at the mouth and raged from the moment they left the school.

His worries about the mutants were valid, and it was also my fault for postponing the explanation.

“I also have something to apologize for…”

An apology just in words would be boring, wouldn’t it?

“I will show you through my actions later.”

At my confident words, my companions seemed to have shed at least some of their fear.

It was like I had unexpectedly both caused trouble and then provided the cure.

At my firm resolve, Hyuk hyung spoke quietly.

“It’s not that we don’t believe you. It’s just hard to accept that there are things even more dangerous when zombies alone are already such a headache and risk…”

“It won’t be easy to eat and sleep going forward, and now our worries have increased.”

“What on earth is this world coming to… tsk.”

Seeing everyone’s complexions darken slightly, it seemed they had rested enough.

When the body is comfortable, the mind tends to wander unnecessarily.

“Alright. Let’s put our worries aside for later and keep moving.”

I, who was sitting on the outermost side, was the first to get out of the car, urging my companions.

My companions got out of the car and simply stretched by rotating their ankles.

I subtly approached Hyung, who was stretching beside me.

“You should keep this, Hyung.”

“…Seonghan. But it would be better if you used it—”

“This is just in case.”

I handed over the pistol I had taken from the gang leader, holster and all.

I had given it to Hyung before, but he must have felt burdened and gave it back to me.

However, a pistol was meaningless to me right now.

It was more advantageous to give it to Hyung and prepare for any eventuality.

“Its use is limited because of the sound, and there’s a high probability it’ll be aimed at people.”

“…Hmm.”

A complex emotion surfaced on Hyung’s face as he swallowed a grunt.

He seemed to understand why I was handing over the pistol.

Fortunately, he didn’t refuse.

They were already people who had been severely affected by human malice.

They didn’t know what dangers lay ahead.

It was good to have at least minimal defenses.

The pistol supplemented their lacking combat power, and the only suitable person to carry it was Hyuk hyung.

I believed he was a rare person with strong mental fortitude and and good judgment.

As proof, he carefully put on the heavy holster he had received.

Without a word of objection or agreement.

His previously complicated expression vanished, replaced by eyes showing firm resolve.

He was indeed a man quick to assess situations.

The companions had been watching, waiting for Hyung to equip the pistol.

The existence of the mutants had been quite a burden, but they seemed to have somehow processed it.

“Alright. We’ll move again.”

Having recovered our strength with rest and food, we started walking again.

A short while later, Captain Choi quietly approached and spoke softly.

“I showed an ugly side. I apologize. Going through such things consecutively has left me not quite myself…”

His self-deprecating words felt disheartened.

“Don’t think that way. Weren’t those near-death crises? Your reaction, Captain Choi, is normal.”

“…Thinking of it that way lightens my heart a little.”

At my clumsy words of comfort, Captain Choi smiled bitterly.

From my perspective, I thought Captain Choi was quite a cool-headed person.

He was a middle-aged man who had lived comfortably as a successful businessman in his daily life.

Having overcome the crisis of immense death and now being together like this, Captain Choi could be considered quite strong-hearted.

He was even the one who drove the six-wheel truck and pushed through zombies together during the escape.

Though he seemed very intimidated, it wasn’t to the point of self-reproach.

‘Similar to Hyuk hyung, but like a lower version?’

‘If Hyung’s mental fortitude is AAA-class, wouldn’t Captain Choi be around A-class?’

‘Indeed, Hyung was very calm.’

Seeing Captain Choi reminded me of the day I first met Hyung.

He was an impressive man who hadn’t lost his composure under such harsh conditions.

My companions, who silently followed through the grim streets, were also resilient.

Normally, they would have been too terrified to act like this.

Although there was the reason of the shelter, these companions set out trusting only me.

I wanted to live up to their expectations.

As I walked with such thoughts, we reached the beginning of Mapo Bridge.

I briefly stopped my companions and scanned ahead.

The slightly fishy smell of the Han River flowing under the bridge was carried by the wind.

There was no foul odor that bothered my nose ahead either.

No signs of movement were felt.

Only a faintly humid, cold wind that cooled my body.

Aside from the abandoned vehicles cluttering Mapo Bridge, there didn’t seem to be any particular dangers. I gestured again to signal the start of movement and took the lead.

“There doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger, so please relax.”

I tried to soothe my companions, whose foreheads were beaded with cold sweat.

Excessive tension unknowingly saps one’s stamina.

As we walked the bridge now, we continuously faced the cold wind.

It was an overcast day, blocking the sunlight, making it good weather for travel.

The moderately cool weather added an advantage for prolonged activity.

Under these conditions, it would be a waste to expend stamina due to excessive tension.

I spoke, but I didn’t press them.

After all, it wasn’t a problem that could be easily solved with words, and my companions would just have to get used to it. What concerned me were the women and the grandmother.

They could tire easily, and in the grandmother’s case, being elderly, I worried about what burden she might experience. By nature, she wouldn’t show it even if she was struggling.

Even now, the grandmother, silently quickening her pace beside the grandfather, simply kept her lips tightly sealed, not wanting to reveal any tension or fear.

‘It might take longer than expected.’

Having assessed and considered the state of my companions with my eyes.

I judged that it would be delayed and decided to take it easy.

We had already come out and walked this far.

As the saying goes, ‘Starting is half the battle’ [a proverb about how starting something is the hardest part, and once you start, you’re halfway there], we had already progressed more than halfway.

There was no need to rush.

I hoped my companions would adapt to the situation a little more.

Actually, adapting to such a situation was inherently absurd.

…The very fact that zombies were rampant in South Korea was nonsense to begin with.

I just wanted my companions to adapt and become strong enough to overcome the current situation.

Just that much. I didn’t wish for them to become like me, worn out and battered by a rough, dog-eat-dog life.

If there’s something you wish for, you must act on it.

All that’s needed is to avoid danger as much as possible.

And I could do that.

I pushed the unsettling thoughts aside for a moment and focused on the front.

As I always did, I raised a moderate level of tension and concentration.

I continued walking, feeling my senses sharpen keenly.

Perhaps it was because I was so proud of myself for trying for my companions.

We didn’t encounter a single zombie while crossing Mapo Bridge, which had felt so long and far. Everything had been very smooth from the start until now.

Feeling a pleasant sense of satisfaction that things were going well, we didn’t stop our steps.

One step, then another.

Neither fast nor slow.

Moving with a gait that at a glance might make us seem like people out for a stroll, we eventually found our way to the walking path we were aiming for after a little wandering.

After safely walking this far, perhaps feeling something good, the atmosphere among my companions lightened somewhat. It was indeed a good feeling.

My companions and I felt a slight surge of exhilaration.

And riding that momentum, we didn’t stop walking.

Thus, we gradually advanced towards the shelter that awaited our arrival.