episode_0191

There were no zombie attacks, and no other significant problems arose. Even the helicopters, operating for long hours without rest, had no issues. Even the calm weather sided with them.

‘It’s just as Captain Lee said.’

His words, that there’s no law saying people must die, resonated once again. Indeed, after all that chaos, there should be some things that go smoothly, right? Just in case it brought bad luck, I stopped all extraneous thoughts there.

As I thought this, I felt a strange sensation looking at the empty heliport. It was like having completed a construction section. A faint feeling arose from the nostalgic sense of accomplishment of having finished something big.

Unlike me, who was leisurely lost in thought, Captain Lee and the soldiers were busy.

“Move to the next location. We need to be ready before the helicopters arrive. Hurry! You there! Watch your hands!”

Perhaps because the burly Sergeant Kim was bustling around, there was a working atmosphere. Thanks to him, the soldiers were being thoroughly roasted. However, there was not the slightest hint of discomfort on anyone’s face. A slightly positive atmosphere hung in the air.

The soldiers also knew well what they had personally sent so far. Perhaps that was why. Unlike when they first arrived, they were now moving like proper people.

The soldiers quickly dismantled and organized the temporary headquarters, such as firearms and tents, that had been set up for defense. The engines of the spare military trucks, which had been found but never used, started up. As cargo was loaded and people boarded, the heliport became an empty space.

I approached Captain Lee, who was standing tall and gazing at the empty ground, and spoke to him.

“Captain Lee. There won’t be any problems once we pass through Gates 1 and 2.”

“…We’ll move immediately.”

Judging by his reaction, Captain Lee seemed to be in a complex, subtle mood as well. Having patrolled whenever he had a chance, Captain Lee chose the route without hesitation. Upon confirming everyone was boarded, they moved towards the next destination without delay.

The next destination was the PX, as planned. It was the food people had been desperately waiting for. Distribution limits had been set from the start, and even that amount wouldn’t last long. The timing was just right, too.

“…I hope people can at least alleviate their hunger with this,” Captain Lee said quietly, sitting in the pickup truck’s cargo bed with me.

I couldn’t say anything particular in response to his words. The quantity of supplies in the PX warehouse was certainly considerable. Their condition was good, and the assortment of items was excellent, living up to its name. However, considering the survivors in the Konkuk University shelter, it wasn’t a generous amount. According to Captain Lee’s explanation, the number of survivors was approximately two thousand. Even after two groups had caused trouble and taken people, it was still in the thousands. Without additional supplies, they wouldn’t last long. Captain Lee, understanding this well, wasn’t overly joyful. No, perhaps he couldn’t be. I subtly spoke to Captain Lee, who remained expressionless and silent.

“Things will work out somehow, won’t they? Someone might come up with a good idea.”

“Hmph.”

“You said it yourself, Captain Lee.”

“…There’s no law saying you have to die.”

Captain Lee and I looked at each other and chuckled softly. There was no immediate alternative, but we thought it was better than worrying needlessly.

Since there was no need for two men to chat, we soon fell silent. In the meantime, the vehicle followed the planned course. It quietly and safely passed through the opposite side of the gate we had first crossed. The main post, which we re-entered, remained unchanged. Most of the areas, now left as empty lots due to demolition, were simply kicking up dust in the wind.

I knew there were no zombies nearby, but as for the others… Even if told there were none, they probably wouldn’t easily relax. At least Captain Lee and his squad members might feel a bit more at ease.

The vehicle, which had been moving slowly for a while, arrived at the PX. The familiar building welcomed us, looking no different from when we first visited. As soon as the car stopped, Captain Lee hopped out and immediately took command.

“Establish a defensive line around the building. Use cars as barricades and block the entrance. Sergeant Kim. Take your personnel around to the back and set up perimeter guards.”

“Understood. Team 1! Follow me!”

“Sergeant Park…”

Captain Lee issued commands without a hitch. The squad members and soldiers who received the orders began to move in perfect order. And then, they skillfully started to take shape.

“The surroundings are quiet for now, so I don’t think we need to worry too much.”

Captain Lee nodded at my words. “This time, we plan to hold out inside, so Seonghan, you can move freely.” He seemed satisfied with my reconnaissance and encouraged me to move autonomously. For me, that was more comfortable and better.

The soldiers, apart from Captain Lee and his squad members, felt distant. It wasn’t an atmosphere for casual conversation. From their perspective, it might look like everyone else was working while I was just idling around. Of course, Captain Lee had introduced me as a collaborator, but… We weren’t going to be together for long, so I just shrugged it off.

Seeing Heize escort Lawrence into the PX building, I casually walked around the vicinity.

Captain Lee and the two squad members moved without rest. They emphasized the importance of this task again and encouraged the soldiers.

“Listen closely. We don’t have much time. Our success depends on how efficiently we process these supplies.”

Captain Lee Kanghoon gestured towards the boxes.

“We start here. Check each box to ensure its contents haven’t leaked or been damaged. Report anything, no matter how minor, if something is stained or seems unusual.”

Captain Lee demanded meticulous attention, not to miss even the smallest defect. This was partly because people would be directly consuming these items, and he seemed to be conscious of infection. At Captain Lee’s strict orders, the soldiers carefully inspected each item.

The soldiers moved diligently, and soon, a bustling energy filled the air. It felt as if the place had instantly become a factory workshop. The items, passing through the soldiers’ hands, soon began to be sorted by type. Amidst this, the items being organized were slowly becoming neatly stacked. From a glance, the movements of the young-looking active-duty soldiers were particularly noticeable.

‘…Habits are truly frightening.’

When someone hovers nearby while you’re working, it usually causes irritation. I kept a slight distance, not disturbing the soldiers who were focused on their task. The soldiers, one and all, worked with serious expressions. The work itself was similar to organizing convenience store items or preparing packages for loading and unloading. It was, in essence, simple, mind-numbing labor. However, its importance was incomparable. Everyone seemed to clearly understand that fact. Thanks to this, I had the illusion that the temperature inside the PX had risen slightly.

Seeing Captain Lee moving among the soldiers, supervising them, I headed outside. A similar situation was unfolding in the warehouse behind the building. Personnel were divided, some standing guard while others retrieved items from the warehouse. They were even using a forklift, found goodness knows where. The situation was different from just hoisting and lifting at the heliport. This time, preparatory work for transportation had to be done from the start. Because of that, things were just as chaotic here.

‘…….’

Now that everyone had turned into SCVs, I quietly slipped away. I came outside, thinking of taking another look around.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, I thought of the soldiers, beads of sweat dripping as they organized the supplies. Hungry soldiers, almost drooling, not just sweating. Everyone had filled their stomachs primarily with canned goods. Around this time, I also craved something warm… Honestly, I wanted to eat something else. Cold canned food was fine for a day or two, but now it was getting tiresome. And it would feel a bit rude to eat something else by myself…

‘…Is there anything?’

As I mentally sorted through the items in my inventory, something good came to mind. I immediately drove the pickup truck forward. At a suitably distant spot, out of sight, I took out an item and placed it down.

『MEAL, READY-TO-EAT, INDIVIDUAL』 MRE for short. I took out the combat rations I had packed in Yeongdeungpo a long time ago but had never eaten. I had completely forgotten about them until I thought about what to eat at the military base.

“…Was there this much?”

Looking at it now, the quantity was considerable. It was impossible to load it all into the pickup truck’s cargo bed. For now, I filled it as much as I could and spent some time. I’d never tasted them myself, but I remembered seeing in online videos that they tasted decent. They also said a benefit was being able to easily eat warm food outdoors. With a little expectation, I returned to the PX and unloaded the boxes.

“Where have you been… Seonghan, what are these?” Captain Lee, who had spotted me and approached, his eyes gleaming.

“Just… I searched through a building and found these, so I brought them.”

It was a ridiculously clumsy lie, but Captain Lee didn’t seem to notice. His gaze was fixed on the boxes piled high in the cargo bed.

“The quantity is considerable.”

“We should eat these.”

“Would that be alright?”

“? Is there any reason why it wouldn’t be?”

I intentionally brought them out for everyone to eat, so of course, we should. At my words, Captain Lee wore a joyful expression. Then he had a few soldiers help move the boxes inside.

“Oh! Is this?!”

The reactions weren’t bad. Those who immediately recognized the combat rations were delighted when they heard we would be eating them.

“Oh…”

Heize, in particular, was very pleased. No, she was happy, but her reaction was… a bit peculiar.

“Have you eaten this before?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it good?”

“Haven’t you eaten it?”

“This is my first time.”

“Euh-heung~”

Heize, letting out a strange hum, helped organize the boxes without another word. After quickly finishing the organization, a mealtime was decided under Captain Lee’s lead.

The opened boxes contained about ten to fifteen thick packets each. I casually picked one up, and other soldiers also grabbed one each. Heize and Captain Lee, however, rummaged through the boxes a bit. Soon after, each holding one, they began to prepare their meal.

‘Oh…’

When I tore open the thick packet, a lot of things came out. The various large and small packages were, naturally, filled with English text. Moreover, since it was my first time encountering them, I had no idea what anything was. I subtly watched what Heize was doing. She poured water into a large packet and propped it up diagonally. She mixed something into the water and quickly made a drink. Noticing my gaze watching the process, she smiled brightly. Then she sat down right next to me and started to help me.

“Now, wait 10 minutes.”

“Oh… so it gets warm?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s this?”

“This is a cracker, this is jelly. Drink this.”

Do combat rations normally include snacks? Puzzled by the strange menu composition, I sipped the drink Heize had prepared for me.

*Slurp*

“…….”

“How about this?”

“…It’s edible.”

It was… a somehow bland lemon juice that tasted like cheap candy. As I grimaced and tried to savor the taste, Heize was grinning mischievously.

“…Your drink is different?”

“Mine’s coffee.”

“What? Are the menus all different?”

“Yeah. There’s a number here.”

“…Really?”

I put down the strange juice and looked around. It certainly seemed like the menus were all different… …Captain Lee also had coffee. Captain Lee and Heize avoided my cold, staring gaze. I had a bad feeling.

In the meantime, as if time was up, everyone started eating one by one. Thanks to the heating pack, steam wafted from the food. Everyone eagerly shoveled the long-awaited warm food into their mouths. Captain Lee and Heize also ate without a word. Lawrence, too, carefully scooped a spoonful into her mouth and gently closed her eyes. Seeing everyone enjoy their meal, I also began to eat. It seemed to be some kind of meat dish, and the smell wasn’t bad. I scooped a large portion with the included disposable utensil and took a bite—

*Chew chew*

*Gulp*

“Whoa…”

*Chuckle*

*Pfft!*

Laughter erupted everywhere at my reaction. Captain Lee was trying to suppress his laughter, his face turning beet red. His shoulders were trembling. Lawrence covered her mouth, turned her head, and her shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter. And Heize…

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha~!!”

She was on the verge of losing her breath. Clutching her stomach, she collapsed sideways, convulsing with laughter.

“…….”

As I clenched my teeth, Captain Lee, having swallowed his laughter, explained.

“There’s a bit of a random draw for the menus.”

“…….”

“The seasoning will be very strong for Korean palates.”

It wasn’t just “strong seasoning.” It was truly, incredibly salty. And why was it so greasy? It was quite literally a taste that invited high blood pressure. The taste was just plain awful overall. I almost spat it out on the first bite, but managed to hold it in since everyone else was eating well.

“…It tastes like a degraded version of a 3-minute meal…”

“That’s a remarkably accurate description.”

“Did everyone know?”

“Well, I’ve had it before. Everyone else here has probably tried Korean-style combat rations.”

Judging by their reactions, it really seemed that way. The soldiers all agreed that the Korean ones were far superior. Damn MREs. My illusion was shattered to the very end.

I challenged Captain Lee, expressing my sense of futility.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I genuinely felt wronged. If I had known, I would have switched to something at least better.

“I was going to tell you, but…”

“…?”

“Ms. Heize signaled me not to.”

“…….”

At that, I glared at Heize, who was still grinning infuriatingly. Now she was even tearing up a little.

“Phew! Phew! Jesus Christ…”

“Is this fun?”

“Yeah.”

“…Really?”

At her annoying words, full of laughter, I scooped up a large spoonful of the horrible-tasting food.

“Come here.”

“Huh? No.”

Heize pursed her lips tightly and scrunched up her face at the sight of my spoon.

*Squeeze!*

“Ack?!”

I firmly held her nose and slowly brought the spoon closer.

“Try it.”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

Heize struggled desperately. She pushed my arm with both hands, but it was no use. Her struggles were meaningless, and the spoon touched her lips.

“Hey, don’t resist. Open your mouth. I said open it.”

“…!!!”

Unable to resist by force or hold her breath, Heize finally opened her mouth.

“Phew! *Gasp*?”

“Don’t you dare spit it out, or else.”

“Ughhhhh!!”

As I covered her mouth, preventing her from spitting it out, Heize’s expression twisted in agony. Through my palm, I could feel her mouth chewing. A moment later.

*Gulp*

Only after she swallowed what was in her mouth did I release my hand.

“Ouch-!!”

Hahahahaahaha!!

Loud laughter burst forth at Heize’s grimacing expression. Laughter that, for a moment, chased away everyone’s worries and anxieties. Perhaps that was why. Although the taste was truly dreadful, it somehow didn’t feel bad.

“Ugh… Holy…”

It really wasn’t bad.