episode_0137

A campus usually refers to school facilities.

The land where university facilities are gathered is so vast it’s like a field.

A new learning ground and a field of competition for budding youth.

The huge campus, where one should dream of a bright future, has lost its meaning.

I don’t know about other places since I haven’t seen them directly.

At least, the appearance of Konkuk University, which I was currently observing, was like that.

In the distance, the SUV carrying Daehan’s group disappeared beyond the perimeter, illuminated by searchlights. There had been a slight commotion, but it had soon quieted down.

I began to close the distance, approaching cautiously.

The searchlights soon went out, and the perimeter line became quiet.

After closing the distance somewhat, I hid myself appropriately and surveyed the surroundings.

My eyes were irritated by the intense illumination of the searchlights, but I soon grew accustomed to the darkness.

And faintly, the full view began to come into sight.

First, I noticed the numerous obstacles installed from the road to the defensive line.

It was too dark for precise identification, but seeing human figures hanging here and there, they seemed to be zombie corpses.

They appeared to have served their purpose well as obstacles.

Beyond that, a defensive line was clearly established ahead.

I don’t know if the entrance to Konkuk University is behind it, but it looked like a significant effort had been put into it.

I focused harder, straining my eyes.

Though I couldn’t see it clearly, I confirmed that barbed wire was properly installed.

And it seemed to be woven in several layers.

Temporary structures, possibly guard posts or watchtowers, were also visible, standing at a slight height.

‘…Is that a machine gun?’

That weapon, which I had only seen in movies, was clearly visible.

Its long barrel and the extended chain of bullets beside it.

A significant number of menacing weapons were noticeable just by looking at them.

Many were installed on top of the watchtowers and in ground-level covers.

The menacing aura suggested one would be riddled with holes before even getting close.

These were defensive facilities capable of providing significant deterrence.

They were distinctly different from the crude defensive lines I had seen a few times before.

A large number of armed personnel were guarding that position.

Just by looking at that entrance, I could tell.

That it was definitely an area where defense had succeeded.

And I also knew that they were only guarding the Konkuk University shelter.

Based on the defensive line ahead, the left side was presumably the Konkuk University campus.

To the right, it was a typical street.

A common street with tall and short buildings packed closely together.

The areas to the left and right, separated by a six-lane road, were distinctly different.

The campus side was clearly receiving electricity.

As evidence, the lights on that side were dispelling the darkness of the night.

However, the street on the opposite side was swallowed by pitch-black darkness and abandoned.

It seemed they hadn’t managed to secure the entire area.

…Or perhaps they had simply abandoned it.

After confirming the general layout, I moved quietly.

I quietly ran out of the sight of those on guard.

The defensive line was concentrated around the road and did not spread far to the left or right.

Maintaining some distance, I approached the blacked-out street.

Thud!

Starting by climbing onto a low building, I began to penetrate deeper.

The street, where tall and short buildings were quite tightly packed, had narrow paths.

Seeing the pretty and colorful signboards and building hues, it appeared to have been a bustling downtown area.

A street designed with a feel that young people would enjoy.

Before the zombie apocalypse, it would have been overflowing with people.

Now, it was damaged, broken, and devoid of color.

It was hard to find any intact buildings.

The walls, once clean, were dirty with unknown stains.

On the streets, building debris, waste, and corpses lay abandoned.

In some places, dirty water sloshed around, as if the drainage wasn’t working.

The street, which would have been a bustling area, looked like a desolate slum.

The closely packed, narrow arrangement of buildings further emphasized that feeling.

And it was presumed that the damage was just as severe.

Even as I leaped across rooftops, relying on the faint moonlight, the visible traces showed the miserable times that had passed.

Amidst the colorless, abandoned street, I ran a little further.

Leaping across buildings, I stopped at a six-story-high structure.

‘……’

『Konkuk University Food Street』

A sign, decorated like a market entrance signboard, greeted me.

Directly to my right, a subway line was visible.

Straight ahead, a building adorned with many glass windows was visible.

And beyond that, I spotted a building powerfully emitting light.

‘Is that Konkuk University Hospital?’

From the atmosphere, it seemed that building was indeed the Konkuk University Hospital the team leader had mentioned.

I crouched down, shielding my body behind the rooftop railing, and only poked my head out.

And then, taking my time, I began to meticulously survey the surroundings.

The wide six-lane road was quite well-organized.

It was evident that wrecked cars had been pushed aside to secure and clear space.

The sidewalks had been dug up, and the path had been compacted so vehicles could pass.

And no small number of covers and obstacles had been installed.

Furthermore, it seemed heavy equipment had been mobilized, as walls had been built from wrecked cars.

Barbed wire was also strung, and an iron fence surrounded the area.

Fences used for concealment, commonly seen at construction sites.

It seemed intended to hide from zombie sight, and while not offering much defensive power, it wasn’t a bad measure.

And though not clearly visible, numerous white tents were set up inside. Medical tents, where quarantine would take place.

Watching those sights, I quietly nodded my head.

‘This is the real deal.’

The defensive line I saw earlier felt like nothing more than a boundary line.

Here, it truly felt like they had thrown everything they possibly could into it!

Anyone could tell that this was the main base.

Coming here and seeing it firsthand, there were things I could roughly grasp.

As the team leader said, it seemed the city area had been organized around the hospital and Konkuk University.

Establishing a shelter and gathering people and supplies.

Since there was also a large university hospital attached, it didn’t seem bad.

However, it was impossible to calculate how much sacrifice had been made to establish such a defensive capability in a bustling downtown area like this.

This was because traces of human and zombie confrontation remained vividly everywhere.

It seemed the corpses had been somewhat cleared, but the traces had not been cleaned up.

Bloodstains on the ground and scattered flesh as if spilled.

Seeing those, it was impossible not to know that great sacrifices had been made.

It was, in a word, an iron fortress built with blood.

I quietly marveled at the strict vigilance visible below the rooftop.

As long as they didn’t do anything stupid, it didn’t seem like it would be easily breached.

Moreover, if any survivors barely made it here, seeing that imposing sight would likely be enough to give them a sense of relief at having survived.

‘But I’m not going there.’

After surveying below, I pondered for a moment before starting to move again.

Thump-thump!

After climbing onto the rooftop of an even taller building, I surveyed the street again.

This time, I looked inside the university grounds.

“Can’t see well. Let’s see….”

It seemed to be about twelve stories high, and a biting wind swept through.

Feeling my skin grow cold in real time, I shivered slightly.

Even though it was early December, the felt cold was considerable.

If it was already like this, I didn’t know how much colder it would get later.

Concerned about the coming cold snap, I took out an item from my inventory.

Binoculars, one of the things I had picked up at Ami Express.

Night vision goggles would have been good, but these were enough for now.

Because lights were shining here and there within the Konkuk University grounds.

Soothing my aching eyes against the cold wind, I began to scan with the binoculars.

First impression was that the grounds were indeed vast.

And it seemed there would be a significant number of survivors.

Large university facilities were surrounded by, without exception, tents.

Tents, mostly uniform in color and size, were gathered compactly in a somewhat orderly fashion.

Plenty of containers were visible, and military tents or pure white ones also caught the eye.

It truly felt like the vast grounds were being used to their fullest capacity.

“Wow… there are helicopters too?”

There were three helicopters, not large, but with sleek designs.

Besides those, many military trucks and equipment were visible.

Machine guns installed here and there for defense also stood out.

And the black, uniform vehicles I had seen during the day also came into view.

‘Those bastards are sticking their noses everywhere, aren’t they?’

I clicked my tongue and examined the lit buildings.

Most lights were off, but in unusually large buildings, the lights were on despite the late hour.

What was faintly visible through the glass windows were people.

People in military uniforms, people in suits, people in doctor’s gowns, and so on.

People from various professions were moving busily.

And soldiers armed with guns were standing guard in various places.

A strict, desolate, and cold atmosphere.

My impression after roughly surveying the shelter in the darkness was precisely that feeling.

“Oh my… I couldn’t live here, it’s too scary.”

I shook my head repeatedly and put away the binoculars.

Flick!

I put a cigarette in my mouth and took a brief moment to breathe.

From what I observed, this place was certainly worthy of being called a shelter.

Armed personnel, weapons, and equipment.

A defensive line established around medical facilities.

For something built in a short time, the effort was apparent.

If they didn’t overdo it and avoided foolish actions, perhaps they could hold out?

That was, of course, assuming the situation went smoothly.

And even if they did hold out, I thought the situation wouldn’t be good.

If ten strangers gather, one idiot is bound to emerge.

Someone who would be a negative factor in some form or another.

People from entirely different backgrounds were gathered in one place, trembling in fear.

It wouldn’t be strange if a ‘panic button’ were pressed, starting a chaotic meltdown.

Anger and fear spread too easily.

Therefore, a person who has lost their reason is dangerous.

That’s not all.

Just among the visible professions, there were soldiers and doctors.

From what I could tell, Taeseong seemed to be here, and those Daehan bastards too.

If you consider that there might even be politicians inside…

“The boat won’t just go up the mountain, it’ll pierce Andromeda.” [A proverb meaning things are going completely wrong or off track, to an absurd degree.]

Even in this situation, they would be calculating their own gains and there would be power struggles.

And I was certain that would become the seed of division.

It might seem like a negative outlook on everything, but it was the truth.

Humans are that foolish and creatures loyal to their desires.

And I was one of the humans who had directly experienced that.

For now, they’d cooperate to save their lives, but I wonder.

Apart from all that, seeing people sleeping in tents in this bitter winter weather made me incredibly uneasy.

From a quick glance, it seemed the buildings were also full of people…

Just by looking, civilians overwhelmingly outnumbered combat personnel.

Protecting them aside, feeding them would be a huge problem.

Of course, it wasn’t my business.

I was merely curious how those bastards would solve their problems.

It was a fresh thought, but I wondered if CEO Choi owning a personal shelter wasn’t truly a stroke of genius.

If not, my companions and I might all have had to shiver in the cold just like them.

The conclusion was…

‘They’re worse off than us.’

That was my honest and straightforward impression after looking around the Konkuk University shelter.

I conceded that they had accommodated so many people and built a shelter.

But if it were me, I wouldn’t head inside there.

Simply put, I couldn’t trust them.

These were the very people who had once abandoned their citizens and fled.

The fractured military had colluded with corporations.

Most importantly, they hadn’t done what they could have done.

Thanks to them, we faced the apocalypse.

Perhaps… just perhaps, if they had done their part in the beginning, this kind of situation might not have occurred—that doubt wouldn’t go away.

Petty things aside, I felt like it would be cold and hungry if I were inside there.

‘That’s not really living, even if you’re alive.’

I shook myself and stood up.

Deep night had already passed, and dawn was approaching.

I had spent a considerable amount of time over the day, but there was a harvest.

At least, I had figured out where those annoying ones were gathered.

If those bastards acted up again after this…

“They’ll all die.”

I felt the corner of my mouth subtly lift without me realizing it.

I glanced briefly at the Konkuk University shelter before averting my gaze.

And then, retracing my path, I began to run across the rooftops.

‘Ah…!’

I had made a mess yesterday morning and then just stormed out.

It was a sudden, impulsive outburst fueled by my own momentary anger.

I had told Hyuk hyung, who had followed me, that I would be back soon…

Late regrets flooded in.

I was at a loss for what excuse to give.

Were they all worried, or were they cursing me?

Or perhaps they were waiting for me.

A myriad of thoughts churned in my head, but a smile escaped.

‘To be worrying about this in such a situation….’

I, who was planning to enact , was now conscious of others and returning to them.

This current, slightly more humane appearance felt not so bad.

‘First, I need to apologize to Reporter Kim….’

As for other problems, I decided to leave them for my future self.

For now, I’m returning to our shelter.

Thud!

I pushed off with force, stepping even faster.

It might just be my imagination, but…

My body, leaping over buildings, felt a little lighter.