episode_0077

“I’m sorry about this…”

“Don’t say that and just rest well.”

“Ugh…”

I gently tucked Representative Choi’s trembling, powerless arm into the blanket.

Groaning in pain, he was already drenched in cold sweat and fell asleep as if fainting.

As I checked on Representative Choi, I looked down at the object in my hand.

A thin metal card, slightly smaller than a credit card.

『YM safe』

The card, with only initials engraved on it, was the master key to this shelter.

Before falling asleep, Representative Choi had told me roughly how to use this card.

Then he handed it to me, apologized, and drifted off to sleep.

After confirming he was asleep, I quietly left the room and headed to the reception room.

Inside the building, silence reigned.

Only the faint sound of my footsteps walking down the hallway could be heard.

In the reception room, Dong-woo, looking anxious, was waiting for me.

“Hyung-nim.”

“What about Grandpa?”

“He said he couldn’t do it and went back to his room.”

“Did he take his medicine?”

“Yes. He just went in.”

“…Alright.”

I sat down next to Dong-woo, who delivered the news in a subdued voice.

“What on earth is going on?”

I leaned back and let out a small sigh.

This morning.

A small emergency had broken out inside the shelter.

Everyone except Dong-woo, Grandpa, and me had fallen ill with body aches.

I was startled by the sudden situation.

At Grandpa’s words that Grandma wasn’t feeling well, I checked on everyone in our group.

‘Could it be, a zombie virus or something like that?’

At first, I suspected that.

It wasn’t common for most people to suddenly fall ill almost simultaneously, so I kept my mouth shut.

My heart was full of apprehension, worried about the possibility.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind, but I roughly shook my head to clear them away.

‘…It must be something like a cold.’

I had no medical knowledge whatsoever.

But I had seen the process of turning into a zombie a few times.

Directly, and right before my eyes.

As an unusual situation unfolded, Dong-woo and Grandpa also became serious.

Since morning, the atmosphere among the three of us had been heavy and gloomy.

Deciding this wouldn’t do, I led the two and began to move.

Hoping it was a baseless worry, I carefully checked on each member of the group.

The result.

I concluded that everyone was suffering from body aches.

“It seems to be just body aches. I don’t think you need to worry.”

“Phew~”

At my simple words, the two sighed in great relief.

Even I, who said it, felt relieved inside.

After all the hardships we’d endured to survive this far, I thought it would all end in vain.

“I think it’s likely due to accumulated fatigue rushing in as the tension eased.”

“…That’s a relief.”

“First, let’s give them medicine and have them rest well. That should be enough.”

I reassured the two and distributed simple cold medicine, fever reducers, and drinks. I also took simple measures, such as hanging wet towels to prevent the rooms from becoming dry.

After making one round, I finally went to Representative Choi, gave him medicine, and made him rest. Representative Choi, in turn, kept apologizing for giving me work.

That’s when I received the master key and came out.

In the meantime, Grandpa had also quietly gone into his room.

It seemed he had endured with sheer willpower, but his condition was equally poor.

Dong-woo, surprisingly fine, seemed peculiar.

He looks gentle and rounded, but he seems to have a healthy constitution.

“I was so surprised, I thought everyone was going to be in big trouble…”

Dong-woo revealed his startled feelings in a hushed voice.

I nodded silently, showing my understanding.

It was no wonder Dong-woo was surprised.

I was considerably surprised myself.

The incredibly fortunate thing was that it wasn’t the situation we had feared.

The progression of zombification I had seen so far always had precursors.

The most noticeable was the encroachment of dark blue veins.

The rapid draining of vitality from the entire body.

A voice that became rough and distorted.

Bloodshot, disturbing eyes.

None of our group members showed any of those symptoms.

‘It seems the unrecognized strain on their bodies piled up all at once.’

Since meeting me, they had spent most of their time in danger.

Although they rested at motels or schools in between, it wasn’t enough.

The environment was also harsh.

It was a continuous series of taut tension and life-or-death situations.

While the actual number of encounters with zombies wasn’t that high, visible threats aren’t the only dangers.

Rather, those were times when we felt the invisible dangers intensely.

Unbeknownst to them, such burdens had accumulated, mixed with fatigue.

The moment the group felt safe and their tension loosened.

That’s when it exploited the opening and collapsed them, as if by a lie.

That’s the assumption.

I feel sorry for everyone who’s bedridden, but they’ll be fine with proper rest.

Thanks to that, I felt greatly relieved.

Dong-woo, having heard my brief explanation, finally relaxed.

“It’s too early to relax completely.”

I instructed Dong-woo to take turns looking after everyone.

Some follow-up care, like wiping away sweat and giving them water.

Dong-woo, assigned his role, stood up with a determined expression.

Seeing me also stand up, Dong-woo asked,

“What are you going to do, Hyung-nim?”

“I’m going to look around the building and make some separate preparations.”

Saying that, I sent Dong-woo off and casually surveyed the inside of the shelter.

For now, it’s enough even without me sticking around.

Though it would require some effort from Dong-woo.

Normally, I would have gone with Representative Choi’s guidance, but given the circumstances, I decided to wander around without a guide.

It was like a habit when entering a new building.

Checking exits and emergency stairs, for example.

Taking in the approximate internal structure.

So that I could move immediately when a sudden moment of “Ah!” came.

Each floor I examined had a roughly similar layout.

Firstly, commonly on each floor, there were several single rooms and multi-person rooms.

The first floor had a reception room and a spacious dining hall.

The second floor was equipped with a lounge area and exercise facilities.

The third floor had a few single rooms and a large open space where walls had been removed.

In the basement, there was a place that looked like an equipment room, separated by a warehouse and thick walls.

Some large, unfamiliar devices were neatly arranged.

“Oh? This…?”

Large, box-shaped iron equipment, about 2 meters high and 4 meters long.

‘It looks like a generator, but a bit different.’

It resembled a mobile generator often seen in the early stages of construction sites. However, unlike those seen on sites, it was slightly larger but had a clean and sophisticated design.

Next to it, similarly shaped items were neatly arranged.

But it was definitely not a generator.

When I touched it, I didn’t feel the vibrations usually associated with a machine in operation.

“…What is this?”

It was connected with a lot of electrical wiring, but I didn’t know its purpose.

There was no point in dwelling on something I didn’t understand, so I went outside.

…At least, it seems there are power generation facilities, as Representative Choi mentioned.

Walking around the building, I noticed the walls were very thick and sturdy.

I went up to the first floor and stepped outside.

‘It really was in the mountains…’

Unlike when it was dark, it was bright morning now.

When I first arrived, I had thought it might be in the middle of a mountain.

That thought wasn’t wrong; all I could see in every direction were mountains.

They didn’t seem to be tall or large mountains, but they appeared to encircle the shelter.

And there were no other paths leading to the shelter.

Unless one were to drop from the sky or something.

It seemed it would be difficult to approach this place from the outside.

‘They said it was a pear orchard at the edge of Yongmasan Mountain, so it must have been true.’

At least it was clear that Representative Choi hadn’t lied to me about anything.

This newly confirmed fact put my mind a little at ease.

After taking in the general layout, I decided to get moving.

The warehouse I had just checked was almost empty.

What could be called emergency food was just a few sacks of rice and some canned goods.

Other than that, it was just water and alcohol.

Even that wasn’t a large quantity.

‘Surely, they never imagined such a situation would actually happen.’

Few people, unless they were deeply involved in a hobby or considered themselves survival experts, would have stocked up on supplies as emergency food.

It was fortunate, if anything, that even those meager supplies were there.

First, I confirmed that Dong-woo was still looking after the group.

I went into the room, emptied my backpacks, and took out all the items.

Most of the water and food had been consumed, so there wasn’t much left.

I packed the backpacks and put on my A-frame backpack, and my preparations were complete.

After telling Dong-woo that I would be going in and out for a while, I left the shelter.

‘It’s a bit annoying, but.’

I planned to pretend to go out and come back, then retrieve the supplies.

It seemed it would be difficult to acquire supplies elsewhere in this area.

The appearance of the street I had surveyed when coming up Sagajeong-ro.

Convenience stores had long been ransacked.

Restaurants and bars weren’t merely destroyed either.

Everything edible had truly been swept away.

Enough time had passed for hungry people to come out onto the streets searching for food.

From now on, it will become harder to find food or supplies.

Recalling fleeting memories, I headed out of the shelter.

Through the tunnel to the fake house.

*Beep-*

‘So this is how it works. How fascinating.’

When I placed the master key on the spot Representative Choi had told me about before he fell asleep, a door opened in the smooth, empty wall. After I went outside, I saw that the closed door left no trace.

My admiration for the scene, which seemed to incorporate advanced technology, was brief.

I left the fake house and headed towards the street.

The road, which I had thought was oddly clean, was indeed in immaculate condition.

In other words, no one had walked this path.

Looking around, the fake house itself was situated in such a way that it wasn’t easily noticeable unless one paid close attention.

‘Bringing a car down this road won’t work.’

Clean asphalt roads get dirty more easily than one might think.

If a car passes, its tracks are easily left behind.

I couldn’t leave traces of coming and going from this place for no reason.

Naturally, I set out, contemplating ways to procure supplies.

The street looked no different from when we had passed through.

The entrance to an apartment complex visible nearby.

The entrance was piled high with cars and various debris.

A makeshift, crude barricade cobbled together.

No corpses were visible, but the flattened marks on the ground allowed one to predict what the situation had been like.

For now, it seemed there were survivors in the apartments as well.

After briefly observing the apartments beyond the barricade, I moved on.

The street was quiet, and the road was desolate.

It was a different sight from the roads that had previously been filled with abandoned cars.

Was it because there weren’t many people?

Or because it wasn’t an area with heavy traffic?

In any case, if there was a car, it would be possible to travel by vehicle here.

I looked left and right along the quiet road.

Buildings were visible, and so was a gas station.

Low-rise buildings stood sparsely.

It was clear at a glance that this wasn’t a street with much pedestrian traffic.

It clearly showed that this was not a densely populated neighborhood.

It seemed the area around the subway station we had passed was the most bustling.

I took out my neck warmer, pulled it over my head, and put on my hat.

I wasn’t planning on going far right away.

I only intended to retrace the path we had taken and examine it.

There was no need to run across rooftops.

There were no zombies visible on the quiet and desolate street.

I didn’t realize it at first, but having passed through this way once, I now clearly understood how short the distance was.

It didn’t even take 30 minutes to walk from the fake house to near Sagajeong Station.

The more I traveled the street, the more I felt it was a small neighborhood.

The narrow alley where I was ambushed by zombies was next to a taxi company.

Glancing over the wall, I saw that the parking lot was mostly empty.

‘…It looks like this place was also ransacked?’

It looked as if they had procured tools or something from here, as everything was overturned and rummaged through.

A large parking space with nothing much else to see.

Turning my eyes away from the taxi company, I heard a dreadful sound coming from the direction of Sagajeong Station. It was none other than the collective groans of zombies.

The zombies were clearly visible, even from quite a distance.

Their numbers even seemed to have increased.

I scanned for the tallest building I could find and climbed onto it.

“Ah…”

On the rooftop, human corpses lay sprawled.

Two corpses of young women, presumed to be in their 20s.

Their clothes were torn to shreds, and they were stripped naked, revealing wounded flesh.

Their once pure white skin was covered in marks of severe beating.

How painful it must have been, with their twisted limbs…

The cold, lifeless bodies had blood at the corners of their mouths.

They couldn’t even close their eyes, showing how much resentment they held.

Dirty footprints were scattered around the corpses.

Just in case, I focused and heightened my senses.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like there were any living people in this building.

Not even the faintest presence could be felt.

“……”

I averted my gaze from the corpses and moved to the next building.

It was a moderately tall building, offering a clear view of the surroundings.

The street I looked down upon.

The number of zombies gathered at the market entrance had definitely swelled.

People were moving beyond the barricade at the entrance.

People in somewhat dirty and shabby clothes.

Survivors in the market, varying in age.

Some held weapons, while many others were busily moving through the narrow market alleys, doing something.

It was a typical neighborhood market, but a large mart was also visible near the entrance.

And in broad daylight, from a high vantage point, it was clear that the road was indeed cleared.

What I had hastily glimpsed while passing through wasn’t a mistake.

It’s good that the road is cleared.

But the question is whether the intention is good or malicious.

When we passed through, there were many corpses on the road, presumably the work of humans. And the number of those corpses seemed to have increased slightly.

Corpses were visible not only on the main road but also in the small neighborhood alleys that branched out like thorns.

If it’s like this in places immediately noticeable, what about other areas?

Even just here, it’s utterly desolate.

There didn’t seem to be anything else to see, so I turned and headed back to the shelter.

When I moved quickly with determination, the distance didn’t take long at all.

Across this short distance, the danger level and atmosphere varied wildly.

I suppressed my somewhat complicated feelings.

Before entering the shelter, I took out various items from my inventory.

Various food ingredients, medicines, and daily necessities.

I crammed them tightly into my backpack and duffel bag, and stacked as much as possible onto my A-frame backpack.

I emptied the items into an empty room on the first floor and went out again.

It was annoying, but I repeated this task until sunset.

Each time I went out, I also scouted in a different direction.

Towards the end, I headed in the direction of Manguri.

All I had to do was follow the straight road.

Not long after, I paused at a large three-way intersection.

【Urim Market】

The entrance to the market, which looked quite large, was similar to the one I saw in Sagajeong.

Large, sturdy vehicles blocked the entrance, piled high with cover.

Above that, an arched roof stretched along the market alley.

I couldn’t examine it closely, but judging by the movement of people, it seemed there were a considerable number of survivors inside.

‘It seems people have gathered quite a bit?’

It definitely looked like a considerable number of people had formed an alliance.

Unlike the Sagajeong side, I couldn’t observe this area, so I quietly retreated.

Normally, it would be a market I’d want to visit, but the sharp vigilance palpable from the entrance felt like a wall.

Looking closely, there was someone on guard in the corner.

The atmosphere felt sensitive.

After grasping the general atmosphere, I considered going further, but the sky was darkening. As the weather grew colder, the sunset came faster.

A rough picture of the situation formed.

There are quite a few people gathered around the market in this vicinity.

And they are holding up quite well.

I was curious about what had happened, but there was no reason to approach rashly.

Unnecessary curiosity invites trouble.

Keeping that in mind, I returned to the shelter.

As a result of my round trips during daylight hours, I had grasped the general geography.

In the meantime, Dong-woo diligently nursed the group, and I was able to stock a room full of supplies.

When I emptied my backpacks and came out of the room, Dong-woo approached.

Lowering my neck warmer, I greeted Dong-woo, who appeared at just the right moment.

“You came at a good time. Let’s organize the supplies together later.”

“I will. More importantly, Hyung-nim. You need to see this.”

He didn’t even glance at the room full of food.

Dong-woo held out his smartphone with a somewhat grave expression.

“What is it?”

A video was playing on the smartphone I glanced down at.

And when I saw it, my body slightly froze.

“…What is this?”