episode_0114

Bang!

With a single gunshot, Incheol slowly took his eyes off the scope.

His eyes were sore and stiff, but he rolled them to survey his surroundings.

Each time he moved his eyes, a chilling sensation brought a trickle of tears, but it didn’t matter.

It was a sensation that reminded him he was still alive, and he welcomed it.

All the bullets he had were spent.

He had conserved and used them as carefully as possible, but it was nowhere near enough.

As the bullets dwindled, anxiety and fear crept in.

Even so, he continued to aim for the zombies’ heads like a machine.

Because there was a man raging shirtless in front of him.

So he gritted his teeth and endured.

He couldn’t tell if time was flowing or had stopped.

They were moments of heart-stopping endurance.

And now, that too was coming to an end.

With the last shot just fired and Seonghan’s flashing sword strikes, nothing moved on the street anymore.

“…Hoo…”

As he propped up his gun and exhaled in relief, a fatigue he hadn’t noticed rushed over him.

His hands trembled slightly, and a loud ringing filled his ears.

He felt his energy drain as weariness enveloped his body, but it didn’t matter.

Incheol, truly relieved, collapsed onto the spot.

‘I… I’m alive…!’

No other thoughts came to him.

He simply trembled at the fact that he had overcome the crisis with a single gun.

‘…To be precise, Hyung-nim did it all, though…’

As he savored the feeling that it was over and relaxed his body, someone asked.

“I-is it over?”

At Lee Inhye’s words, who had been holding the fort with them, Dong-woo jumped up.

“Ow! Ah! Ow! Why, why are you hitting me!”

“Don’t say things like that! It brings bad luck!”

“Wh-what are you talking about! That’s funny!”

Seeing Dong-woo playfully slapping Lee Inhye’s shoulder to shut her up made people chuckle slightly.

It was a sight that didn’t quite fit the current situation.

In a way, one might say they lacked tact.

As people wondered how to react, Jihyeok, who had been looking out the window, spoke.

“…It seems to be over.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It seems we’re to wait for now.”

At his calm words, people looked out the window.

They saw Seonghan waving his hand in the middle of the corpses.

Seonghan’s figure, walking through the corpses with a flailing gait, was a very awkward and alien sight. It was as if he were walking through thick mud.

Upon witnessing that sight, people suddenly realized.

Soon after, everyone spoke up.

“W-we’re alive!! We’re alive!”

“It’s over! Waaaah! We’re alive!!”

The hospital shook with the wave-like cheers of the survivors.

They had witnessed an unreal sight and now faced a miraculous one.

They had sensed death by the onslaught of evil things.

But the approaching death did not reach them, and people felt life.

The tangible feeling of being alive, felt on their skin!

Those who had taken refuge cheered and embraced each other.

Some trembled with released tension, shedding tears.

Others sobbed loudly, roaring their existence.

A miracle created by a single blade and a single rifle.

People could not contain their fervor for the lives they had gained.

Amidst it all, Jihyeok and his companions comforted the exhausted Incheol.

And they, too, were wearing deep smiles.

***

He conspicuously raised his hands above his head and rotated his wrists.

It was one of the hand signals exchanged in the field.

Interpreted, it meant something like ‘Alright~’ or ‘Okay~’.

He sent a signal to Hyuk hyung, who had been watching him instead of Incheol, who had disappeared from view.

After sending the signal, a cheer erupted a moment later, indicating they had somehow understood it.

He wondered if a celebrity would have any reason to catch onto such things, as he surveyed his surroundings.

‘…….’

The zombie corpses lay sprawled all the way to the market entrance.

The hospital building entrance was barely untouched.

No one had failed to take shelter, and no screams were heard.

‘That’s a relief…’

They had safely overcome the sudden zombie defense.

Including their group, no one was injured.

Considering they had dealt with such a large number of zombies, wasn’t it a triumph?

…Except for himself, who had bathed in the zombies’ dark blue, rotten blood.

His body, drenched in bodily fluids and giving off a foul smell, made him frown and his head ache.

If an unfamiliar person saw him, he was in a state that could easily be mistaken for a zombie.

“Ugh, damn it! I can’t stand this.”

In a hurry, he pulled an 18-liter water bottle from his inventory and poured it over his head.

The water gurgled and poured down.

“Pffft! Cough! Cough~”

He vigorously rubbed his face as the water cascaded over his head.

The weather was already cold, and he was covered in blood.

Then, pouring cold water on himself, he felt like he was losing sensation from the chill.

A throbbing headache from the cold water splashing on his head was an added bonus.

Only after emptying three large water bottles did he feel like the blood and flesh clinging to his entire body had somewhat washed off.

He also poured water on the sword he had briefly placed on the ground to wash off the grime.

Whoosh-shing!

“…Hah~”

The sword, swung in the air to shake off the water, was clean.

It was unstained and subtly exuded a sharp gleam.

The chillingly sharp aura felt like an illusion of its continued prowess.

He had swung it violently and cut down an immense number of foes, yet it had not a single scratch.

“…So, despite its appearance, it’s a legendary sword, then…”

He felt good about its performance, which exceeded his expectations.

He sheathed his sword and walked towards the intersection.

He walked through the haphazardly tangled and sprawled corpses.

With a water bottle in one hand, gulping down water.

‘…….’

He slowly moved, surveying his surroundings and trying to sense any lingering presence.

Just in case anything was still moving, or if anything they hadn’t caught remained.

He walked out to the ruined Sagajeong intersection, but there was nothing unusual.

No twitching, no movement, no disturbing roars.

‘…Is it towards Gunja?’

His gaze turned to one direction of the empty road.

He recalled the City Bike that had been fleeing rapidly, pursued.

They seemed to be the ones who had herded the zombies, supposedly handled by the Yeom family gang.

But he didn’t think they had specifically targeted them.

‘Because there was no need for them to shout “Run!”‘

Regardless of their intention, the fact that they got screwed over remained.

If they appeared again, he wouldn’t let them go.

Whether by their own will or not, they were a nuisance.

‘…I’ll sort them out later.’

Only after he was sure there were no more problems did he relax.

“Whew~~”

He’d been hit once by that monkey-like thing, but it didn’t hurt at all.

“No, wait. I wasn’t hit.”

He was perfectly fine, without a single scratch.

But he had lost the partner who had been with him through thick and thin until now.

That fact pained him.

Although the crowbar itself was old, its breakage proved how dangerous the mutant’s attack was. It was probably strong enough to easily crumple a car.

‘…These guys, I just can’t figure them out.’

He felt that the mutations were truly diverse.

Diversity, for a zombie, was laughable, but the enhanced physical abilities that accompanied it were not to be underestimated.

They withstood bullets and even grenades.

Their athletic ability was incomparable to that of regular zombies.

The only fortunate thing was that they appeared rarely.

After encountering a mutant again today, it seemed understandable that the soldiers had been defeated.

He still had no idea why these things appeared.

Aside from that fundamental question, the fact that even a single mutant appearing would be fatal to survivors would remain a major problem.

‘…What a headache…’

Just thinking about it made his stress build up and his head ache.

These bastards were truly beings whose very existence was a sin.

Since he couldn’t figure anything out about these guys…

Feeling frustrated, he raised his head and looked at the sky.

Before he knew it, the sun had set, and darkness had arrived.

Looking at the darkening sky, he became aware of the time he had forgotten.

Only then did he realize his surroundings were dark.

Seeing the street enveloped in darkness, he thought, ‘Oh, right.’

‘I said I’d be back soon today…’

His companions back at the shelter would probably be going crazy with worry.

He moved, thinking he needed to get back quickly.

First, just in case, he collected the mutant’s corpse into his inventory.

It was definitely rare and displayed abilities of a different class every time it appeared.

These things’ corpses would undoubtedly be valuable.

‘Should I have collected the others too?’

He felt a momentary regret for the mutant corpse he hadn’t collected last time, but it was fleeting.

As long as the zombie situation wasn’t resolved, he felt he would continue to encounter mutants for various reasons. In that case, collecting them each time might prove useful in the future.

…He found himself thinking about collecting corpses.

Life was truly this difficult.

Perhaps due to fatigue, useless thoughts swirled in his head.

He shook his head to clear it and returned to the delivery truck.

“Oh…”

It was late to notice because of the darkness, but the broken body of the crowbar had fallen near the truck’s rear wheel. If it hadn’t been glistening with zombie blood, he might not have seen it.

He washed the body of the crowbar, which had struggled for him until the very end, with mineral water and carefully placed it in his inventory. A lingering attachment made him wonder if he could weld it back together and use it.

It was a beloved weapon he had grown very fond of.

As he briefly soothed a sense of emptiness and loss, people began to emerge from the building. People were also cautiously coming out from the market entrance.

Although they flinched at the sight of corpses scattered everywhere, they weren’t overly afraid. Seeing their considerable courage, he felt he didn’t need to worry.

Hyuk hyung and the others rushed towards him without hesitation.

The group seemed a little awkward, as if they hadn’t seen him in a long time.

The sudden awkwardness made him laugh.

“Why are your reactions like this?”

“No… are you hurt anywhere?”

“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

“No, well, ha… really… this is… haa~”

Hyung and the group seemed to have a lot to say, but they just sighed, perhaps feeling complicated.

Still, Dong-woo and Incheol were relatively calm.

Dong-woo was smiling, his eyes sparkling.

Incheol was also smiling, but looked extremely exhausted.

“Incheol. You worked hard.”

“Me? Well… Hyung-nim is the one who truly worked hard.”

“You were quite good with a gun? So you really are a sharpshooter, huh?”

“Ah… Hahaha. I am confident in my shooting, sir.”

“Try to drop that military talk a bit. Hehehe~”

Our group, reunited, congratulated each other right where they stood.

Incheol truly did more than his share.

The presence or absence of the rifle always attached to his body proved the reason.

He had made the utmost effort with limited ammunition.

His ability to match his assistance to him without any prior coordination was, without a doubt, superb.

While he was admiring Incheol anew, who seemed to be reappearing before his eyes, everything was fine, except for the fussing where he kept checking if he was hurt.

Just then, Grandpa slapped his forehead and sighed deeply.

“Oh dear! Look at the time!”

“Huh? Why the time… Ah!!”

“Grandma must be worried, this is big trouble!”

Only then did the group remember their companions back at the shelter and started fussing.

Each of them checked the state of the delivery truck, saying they had to return quickly.

The delivery truck was perfectly fine, except for a bit of zombie blood splattered on it.

Grandpa hastily climbed into the delivery truck.

As the group got into the truck and started the engine, people began to approach.

Among them, familiar faces appeared.

The merchant representative, Ms. Kim Heejin, and Director Jang from the hospital.

The three of them, while still bewildered, worried about his physical condition.

They also expressed great gratitude for protecting the people.

It was evident enough just from the merchant representative’s gestures, as he repeatedly bowed, his eyes slightly brimming with tears.

What was unexpected was that Director Jang’s gaze towards him was distinctly different from before.

What was it, curiosity and wonder?

It felt as if he had shed a suspicion that wasn’t quite suspicion regarding him.

As proof, Director Jang spoke to him seriously and politely.

“Seonghan. I’d like to have a quiet conversation with you. Could you please spare some time?”

It was excessive politeness from an elderly doctor, but his voice was not subservient.

He could feel a small hint of sincerity within his courteous words.

It seemed he was acting this way after seeing him fight, but he wondered if they had anything to talk about.

Between him and Director Jang, there was nothing in common except for the already dead Yeom family gang.

After a moment of thought, he shared his opinion.

“…It’s late today, so I’ll come visit you soon.”

“I will be waiting.”

He was slightly dumbfounded by the politeness, accompanied by a faint smile and a slight bow. He wondered what had caused this change, as Director Jang had been so cautious when they first met.

Anyway, too much time had passed, and he had to return quickly.

He was afraid of his angry grandmother, but he also didn’t want to cause his companions any worry. His group seemed to feel the same way, waiting for him inside the truck with anxious expressions.

As he finished his greetings and was about to turn away, he heard the merchant representative sigh.

“What are we going to do about those things…”

His words, murmured softly as if to himself, were full of worry.

Indeed, disposing of zombie corpses was also a problem.

Who would like it if corpses rotted near their residence?

Zombie corpses decompose easily and more quickly.

Furthermore, there was no telling what negative effects they might have.

The market people had even cleaned the streets just in case, but now all that effort had gone to waste.

As he was about to turn, he quietly offered his suggestion.

“Burn them.”

“…Huh??”

“Zombies. They burn better than you’d think.”

‘…….’

“They’re piled up right there, so gather them up and light them on fire.”

The merchant representative, Director Jang, and the people all looked dumbfounded and seemed speechless.

But would there be time to clean up each and every one of those piled-up bodies like mountains?

If they could be burned to ash, that would be best.

Even if not, burning them first and then handling the aftermath would be easier and better.

Of course, they would have to brace themselves for the smell that would rise as they burned.

While people stammered, Ms. Kim Heejin asked.

“Seonghan, how do you know that?”

“Know what?”

“That zombies burn well.”

A sharp question that suddenly came out of nowhere.

‘…….’

“?”

Ms. Kim Heejin’s question, asked with innocent, blinking eyes…

He exercised his right to remain silent regarding that and immediately got into the delivery truck.

“Se-Seonghan?”

“It’s very late. Goodbye, everyone. Let’s go!”

It looked like he was leaving in a hurry, as if fleeing, but that was a misunderstanding.

He was simply rushing because it was genuinely very late.

Three delivery trucks drove a little faster down the darkened road.

It was a short distance, but the group hurried.

Hyuk hyung, who was driving the truck he was in, said quietly.

“We should probably talk too, shouldn’t we?”

“Indeed. We need to talk a bit.”

There was no further explanation, but the atmosphere grew a little heavier.

“How about a light drink?”

“…No reason to refuse.”

“Hehehehe~”

“Why? Oh! Should we grill some ham for a snack?”

“Making something simple is good too~ Let’s see when we get there.”

Certainly, this person was no ordinary man either.

Even after just going through such a big event, he was discussing alcohol and laughing lightly.

It wasn’t as if he had lost his mind or anything.

His eyes were clear, and there was no sign of excitement or anything like that.

It purely felt like the person himself was strong.

‘…….’

Both Hyung and Incheol.

There was a reason they had survived.

And they were people he liked.

Regardless, the drinking session seemed like it would be fun.

They might even be able to have a somewhat honest conversation.

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to reveal everything about himself.

Their group, who had safely cleared the sudden defense event without any sacrifices.

They were surprised and exhausted, but they chattered idly about what kind of alcohol to drink and what snacks to pair with it.

It was as if they were trying to maintain a cheerful atmosphere to shake off the shock they had experienced during the day. He didn’t think it was bad, so he chimed in as well.

But that was as far as it went.

Their delightful flights of fancy were crumpled not by Grandma’s scolding, but by her tears, and he and his companions had to sweat profusely trying to comfort Grandma and the rest of the family.

That night.

They once again experienced the power of a woman’s tears.