episode_0180

A high-pitched whine.

“Ugh…”

Immediately after being blown away by the pressure, I tried to stand up, but it didn’t work as intended.

A powerful tinnitus that instinctively made me frown.

Perhaps because of that, a headache surged, making it impossible to clear my head.

Dizziness that made my vision spin was an added bonus.

My body wasn’t in pain, but this was somehow unbearable.

They say eardrums can’t be trained, and it seems to be true.

I put a finger to my ear and checked; thankfully, there was no blood.

“…”

Gradually, the ringing in my ears subsided, and the headache lessened.

My wavering vision quickly stabilized.

As my senses returned to normal, I slowly shuffled my body.

Leaning against a scrapped car, I slowly rose and surveyed the front.

Parts of the wall that formed the boundary of Yongsan Base had collapsed.

Calling it “parts” was an understatement; everything close to the explosion radius had collapsed.

Inside the clearly visible base, a massive fire was erupting.

The flames alone seemed to be at least 5 meters high.

The range spread wide to the left and right was considerable.

Even at a distance of 20-30 meters, I could feel the heat.

The fire’s power was that immense and intense.

WHOOSH!

I flinched!

Was there anything left to burn?

As if spewed from the flames, a pillar of fire shot upwards.

At the same time, black smoke surged up with it, then billowed and turned into a rounded shape.

It looked like a rounded mushroom.

My gaze was captivated by the fierce inferno that illuminated the night.

It was vigorous, dynamic, and intensely powerful, as if it would devour everything.

Unconsciously, I stared blankly at the flames that maintained their size.

Boom! Whizz!

A sound like chestnuts popping in a fire came from within the flames.

Simultaneously, something was launched outwards from within the flames, as if ricocheting.

Whooooosh~

A drum barrel that had suddenly shot up flew through the air, leaving a long trail of flame.

Thud-BOOM!

The drum barrel that flew into the base caused a small explosion upon landing.

The contents, scattered by the explosion, directly covered the nearby zombies.

The sticky waste oil, once ignited, burst into vigorous flames right there.

The zombies, previously pushing and bumping into each other, eagerly rushed into the flames.

It was unclear if the heat of the flames or the spectacular blaze had stimulated them.

The zombies simply lunged, trying to claw and bite at the unreachable flames.

The more they thrashed, the more fiercely they were consumed by the flames.

Every time they flailed their limbs, the fire spread to nearby zombies.

Once ignited, the waste oil did not extinguish easily.

Even with countless zombies rushing, stomping, and rolling their bodies, it wouldn’t go out.

Instead, it seemed to be waiting, engulfing the zombies and growing in size.

Similar scenes unfolded in every direction.

‘……’

They looked like sinners writhing in agony within a fiery pit.

They had no reason, no emotion, no pain receptors.

But to me, that’s what they looked like.

The violent thrashing was fleeting.

Gradually, their struggles lessened, and their thrashing slowed.

Bodies that had rushed relentlessly crumbled and crawled on the ground.

Then, they let out a pathetic final groan and ceased movement.

Other zombies then trampled over the zombies that had turned back into corpses.

The dying flames flared up again.

The zombies danced and were ravaged within the inferno’s mouth, then withered away.

That repeated.

It occurred sporadically within the wide space between the hospital and the helipad.

And it repeated.

The hordes of zombies, whose end was not visible from one side to the other.

Their numbers were visibly, distinctly reduced.

Even now, they were steadily decreasing, albeit slowly.

‘Hah…’

It felt different from when I started the fire in Yangjae-dong.

Back then, it felt like, ‘Wow, I really messed up big time!’

Now, it felt like, ‘I really pulled it off properly.’

I felt quite a sense of accomplishment.

Seeing the zombies doing a flame tap dance made me feel exhilarated.

Perhaps because I’d seen a good spectacle, my cheerful mood returned, and my body recovered.

The tinnitus and headache disappeared, and my sense of balance returned.

“Ugh!”

Only now, truly feeling the awful smell, I pulled out a mask.

A regular mask wouldn’t be enough, so I took out a dust mask and put it on.

I hastily covered my mouth and nose, but it wasn’t enough.

‘…I should get a gas mask.’

Even with a neck gaiter and mask, the smell was unbearable.

The combination of burning waste and rotting flesh had a destructive power beyond imagination.

Breathing became difficult in many ways, but I endured it for now.

I just needed to hold on a little longer.

It wasn’t over yet.

I moved towards the direction where the heat was emanating from.

The closer I got, the more intense the heat became, but it was tolerable.

The sight that greeted me after climbing over the collapsed wall was very satisfying.

The spot where the drum barrel had been was slightly caved in.

Instead of the drum barrel that had flown away, a large fire occupied the spot.

And within that radius, a vast number of zombies lay sprawled.

Burning, hive-like zombies were strewn all over the place.

I slowly walked across the long, stretched-out carpet of corpses.

Instead of soft comfort, a strange, uncomfortable sensation was conveyed through the soles of my feet.

Sticky or crispy.

It must have been hot, as warmth radiated up from the soles of my shoes.

Aside from the disgusting feeling, it was an enjoyable sensation.

Steel balls scattered everywhere were also occasionally visible.

For something added on the spur of the moment, it played an overflowing role.

I carefully avoided the flames, navigating past the spot where they shot up.

‘…Stubborn, aren’t they?’

About ten meters from where the drum barrel had been, the one I was looking for was there.

It was writhing amidst the zombie corpses, its entire body covered in flames.

“Agh… Guhh-”

It was a groan that caused extreme revulsion.

Its vocal cords must have melted, as it could only make metallic-sounding noises, no longer able to shriek.

It kept struggling to move, but only managed to roll around in the fire.

Its movements were slow, and only its right arm was moving.

Even then, its fingers were blown off, and what remained was charred and stuck.

Did it know its own body was burning or not?

The more the giant zombie thrashed, the more the flames surged.

The illusion of a foul odor spreading through the air was an added bonus.

I approached the creature, drawing my sword from my inventory.

The giant zombie’s sprawled body was ragged.

Its upper body was riddled with marks where steel balls had embedded.

Its entire body was not just scorched but thoroughly burned to a crisp.

What pleased me most was its nearly burst abdomen.

The pillow bomb must have exploded beneath its belly, leaving it formless except for a few scraps of flesh.

“So that’s why you couldn’t move, huh?”

No matter how big and tough, a zombie is still a zombie.

If it could move with its spine cleanly severed, that would have been even stranger.

And it seemed waste oil had seeped inside, as its insides were burning.

Burning oil truly is terrifying. This zombie, moving even in this state, was disgusting.

Still, it was fortunate that it was incapacitated early.

If it had kept resisting and causing trouble, it would have been a headache.

As I was admiring its scorching appearance, the giant zombie thrashed.

Had it sensed my presence?

The creature, having lost both eyes, twisted its head towards where I stood and squeezed its damaged vocal cords.

Riiiiip!

As it thrashed, its already slowly moving arm tore off and rolled onto the ground.

“Guhhh…”

“…”

I approached the side of the relentless giant zombie’s head.

THWACK!

I brought my sword down, feeling like a guillotine falling.

At that moment.

ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR-!!!

A few zombies roared from all directions.

When the shouting-like roars ceased, the sound of running on the ground echoed.

“Hah… You bastards.”

First, I secured the severed giant zombie’s head in my inventory.

I hated touching the monstrous thing the size of a tire, but I had no choice.

It was all for later… so I bit back my tears.

After recovering the head, I got up and immediately ran.

Campfires burning here and there illuminated the darkness.

Zombies rushed forward through the flickering flames.

Some were running while on fire, but many others were not.

The zombies weren’t lured by the flames; they ran precisely towards me.

Rather than confronting them directly, I kept moving, scanning my surroundings.

‘…As expected.’

Among the rushing zombies, I spotted a familiar one.

A creature a head taller than regular zombies.

That one, hiding behind the hordes of creatures.

I found a zombie with a form similar to the first variant I had encountered.

Sure enough, this one, too, followed behind as if observing.

All the other zombies were rushing, but it alone was leisurely.

I stopped running and swiftly pulled out a Molotov cocktail and a lighter.

I lit the wick and instantly threw it.

Towards the arrogant variant.

BOOM! WHOOSH!

“SHRIEEEEEK!!”

“Want another one?”

Immediately, I pulled out a pillow bomb and threw it at the variant.

The distance was a bit far, but I threw it carefully.

Making sure it wouldn’t tear open and spill its contents.

WHUMP!

Immediately after the sack filled with steel balls hit the variant.

KABOOOOOM-!!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

WHIZZ WHIZZ WHIZZ!

“?!!”

Aside from the explosion, I was startled by the surging steel balls.

I quickly retreated, frantically dodging.

“Ugh?!”

CLANG!

I blocked a steel ball flying towards my forehead and swung my sword.

CLINK! WHING! WHING! WHING!

Small sparks and the sound of plating scattering burst continuously in the air.

In an instant, I swung my sword in a frenzy.

“Oh, damn, you startled me!”

It had been a while since I was genuinely startled.

Not only the power of the pillow bomb but the steel balls were also more powerful than I expected.

All the nearby zombies were blown apart.

Zombies still moving had holes pierced through their bodies.

A wide circle had been cleared where the pillow bomb exploded.

Blown-apart zombies lay sprawled on the ground.

The variant that took a direct hit was nowhere to be seen.

‘…Wow…’

An insane amount of gunpowder + steel balls + a grenade.

The destructive power created by this combination was impressive.

And to have exploded such a thing with waste oil…

I realized this wasn’t meant to be used by throwing it like that.

Everything has its proper way of being used.

I nearly got hurt due to improper usage.

Next time, I’ll be more careful… Anyway.

In a single moment, I cleared out zombies within dozens of meters in every direction.

The large clump of zombies that had vanished left a strangely empty feeling.

And the remaining zombies seemed somehow strange.

It was as if the ones clearly rushing towards me had become stupid.

The atmosphere became scattered and disorganized.

Some were still targeting me, while others were drawn to the flames.

The original feeling of losing reason and thrashing wildly.

‘As expected, the variants are the problem.’

The fact that there are types of variants that lead zombies.

Only after dealing with them three times did I definitively figure this out.

Knowledge is power.

I shouldn’t, but if I have to face a zombie horde again?

It would be a slightly easier fight then.

I widened my view and scanned the distance.

There were still many zombies left.

Perhaps there was another commanding variant somewhere.

I cut down the approaching zombies while scanning around.

‘Over there.’

I was easily taking down zombies when I suddenly changed direction.

The ones coming from that direction felt different.

Leaving the dazed zombies behind, I ran towards them.

Many.

A large number of zombies ran, overlapping bodies as if competing.

“Ah, this.”

A familiar sight.

The zombies began to clump together.

They ran, looking only forward.

They crushed and trampled each other, closing the distance to me.

Like a surging wave crashing inwards…

GRAB!

As I ran, I picked up a rolling metal plate from the ground, laid it horizontally, and threw it.

WHIRRRR!

SLASH!

The elongated metal plate flew in a circle, slicing through zombies, but it wasn’t enough.

It was then that I thought about throwing something else.

‘Oh…’

Suddenly, I saw the wreckage of a helicopter nearby.

Fragments lay scattered around the blackened, charred helicopter, which seemed to have crashed and burned.

Among them, something caught my eye.

A rotor blade.

That long metal plate that makes a helicopter fly had been damaged, fallen off, and was rolling on the ground.

It was slightly broken, but it looked long, wide, and sturdy.

It was definitely not something a person could easily lift, but…

“This is good…?”

Despite its slender appearance, the blade felt considerably heavy.

I effortlessly lifted the metal plate, which was over 4 meters long.

Holding the end firmly, I felt a reassuring solidity in my hand.

I held the blade laid horizontally to my right and dragged it along.

I walked towards the zombies rushing forward, screaming their monstrous cries.

One step, two steps…

For some reason, my heart began to pound pleasantly.

I gauged the distance, set my left foot forward, and took my stance.

With a feeling of transferring power from my toes to my waist…

“Hup!”

SWOOOOOSH-

THWACK!

With a single horizontal swing, multiple zombies were bisected.

Leveraging the recoil from the swing, I stepped forward with my right foot and swung again.

SWOOOOOSH-

THWACK!

Again, zombies were chopped apart in clumps.

I swung repeatedly, timing it with when they entered my range.

THWAAAACK-

Bodies were split as if torn apart.

Bodies were twisted and flung away.

Or perhaps struck incorrectly, they flew through the air.

The zombies pushing in were swiftly erased.

Is this how a farmer feels when scything weeds?

The sight of them being cleanly cut down was satisfying.

But it was too early to celebrate.

The number of rushing zombies was vast.

If they were human, they would have been terrified and broken formation or fled.

But the zombies, seemingly oblivious to such things, charged relentlessly, their momentum unbroken.

CRACK!

“…Tch.”

The blade was the first to break.

The tip of the long blade snapped off.

I felt a considerable dull resistance in my hand, but it didn’t last long.

I laid the already tattered blade horizontally and threw it.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH-!

The blade, spinning like a disc, flew through the air, dismembering and pushing away zombies.

A gap opened for an instant.

Beyond that gap, the variant was visible.

That ugly one, conspicuous with its net-like tangled veins.

The moment I confirmed the variant, I surged forward.

I frantically swung the sword I had drawn again, carving a path.

I widened the gap further, tearing through and running.

The moment other zombies blocked the variant’s path.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

I cut them down faster than they could clump together.

Then, I continued the flow, approaching the variant and hacking at it.

Before it could react, I plunged my sword in and tore through it.

Ignoring the variant, which was now in pieces and oozing, I continued to swing my sword.

It was definitely dead.

As a result, the zombies’ disposition changed in an instant.

Dealing with zombies that charged haphazardly wasn’t difficult.

They weren’t clumping together and rushing like a wave.

Nor were they clumping like a wall and charging.

Cut, strike down, slice off.

If they just rushed like this, all I had to do was swing.

I was simply attacking, but I put speed and power into it.

The swinging sword left afterimages.

The afterimages soon left only faint traces.

My steadily walking pace gradually quickened.

I rapidly eliminated the zombies.

Blood spurted, flesh splattered, and bits of organs flew.

My neck gaiter and mask were soaked, making it hard to breathe.

The stench intensified so much that I felt like I was submerged in sewage.

But I didn’t stop.

The number of zombies had drastically decreased.

I had also caught the variant I saw immediately.

The momentum of the rushing zombies had been broken.

No, they had become stupid again.

Now was the time to finish them off.

My body seemed to follow my thoughts, moving lightly.

A feeling of something radiating from within.

I fell into a sensation of liberation and my entire body going wild.

No, I *was* going wild.

No thoughts entered my mind.

The sensation of slicing through flesh and hide, felt through the sword in my grip.

The sensation of crushing and grinding them whole.

More, just a little more.

Unlike the rotor blade, my sword could endure.

I gripped the hilt even tighter.

Something hot threatened to burst through my chest.

“GUAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

I screamed with an unbearable exhilaration.

A sudden jolt! The feeling of my sword cutting through empty air made me stop.

My body was hot.

But the sight before my eyes forced me to stop.

“Pant! Pant! Pant!”

I tore off the mask that hindered my breathing and pulled down my neck gaiter.

Then I slowly straightened up.

My pulse suddenly eased, and the strength drained from my hands.

But it didn’t matter.

Only scattered corpses filled the surroundings.

“Huuuh…”

Nothing moved before me anymore.

Just… the bright moonlight illuminated what I had done.