episode_0194

“Seonghan. Would you like to see it yourself?”

“Me?”

Captain Lee, who had been watching ahead, turned to me and asked.

*Come here and take a look.*

Seeing such an expression, I leaned my face into the cockpit.

Junior Warrant Officer Jo Ilcheon and Junior Warrant Officer Lee Misook.

They were the people I had the least interaction with while assisting in this operation.

I didn’t know much about the two relatively young individuals.

However, Captain Lee vouched for their competence.

And now, an opportunity arose to glimpse a part of that competence.

“Over there.”

I followed the direction Junior Warrant Officer Lee Misook pointed with her finger.

“……”

“We’ve been taking this route continuously until now, but this is the first time we’ve seen such a large number today.”

On the ground below, zombies swarmed.

They just swarmed.

There’s no other way to describe the sight of them densely packed together, squirming and rubbing against each other.

If I had to describe it, it was like a massive infestation of maggots covering a piece of bread that was the ground.

Even those damn things I encountered at Yongsan Base were numerous enough.

But the scene below was beyond that.

I squinted, straining my eyes.

Even with enhanced vision, I hadn’t misjudged it.

That enormous number of creatures was indeed a zombie horde.

“Why are they clumped together like this?”

“…Perhaps they were drawn by the helicopter’s sound….”

Jo Junwi added to Junior Warrant Officer Lee’s timid remark.

“We raised our altitude and followed the Han River to avoid provoking the zombies, but….”

“That… doesn’t seem to be the case.”

From my perspective, it was a good choice.

I told the two junior warrant officers, who seemed to be mistakenly blaming themselves:

“Even if zombies have good hearing, they wouldn’t be able to hear a helicopter this high and far away.”

“Then what gathered their attention…?”

“Their eyes are rotten, so their eyesight isn’t good.”

“Then?”

Although they were looking straight ahead, I could feel their anticipation for my answer.

“I don’t know why, but it’s probably not because of the helicopter.”

“I agree. If that were the case, all of them would have followed us.”

“Ah… *exhale*…”

At Captain Lee’s and my replies, the two junior warrant officers let out the breath they had been holding.

It seemed they had been on edge, thinking they had made a big mistake.

I quietly asked Jo Junwi, who was relieved:

“Is that Gangbyeonbuk-ro?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then what about over there?”

“That’s Olympic-daero.”

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

Captain Lee looked at me with an anxious gaze as I fell silent.

“It seems the zombies are moving of their own accord.”

“You think those things are moving?”

I nodded slightly and began to speak.

“My group and I once traveled on foot from Yeongdeungpo to Myeonmok-dong. We took the promenade that ran alongside the road.”

“Th-that place?? From Yeongdeungpo?”

“At that time, there were hardly any zombies. At least not on the promenade.”

At my words, Captain Lee and the two pilots’ gazes turned towards Gangbyeonbuk-ro.

Clearly, the promenade had been a good choice back then.

Gangbyeonbuk-ro was also filled with abandoned cars, but there were few signs of zombies, so everyone was able to move safely.

That same road was now teeming with zombies.

The Olympic-daero on the opposite side was the same.

And the partially destroyed bridges, visible here and there, were also just as full.

‘Like a sausage stuffed full.’

…The sight of the sausages squirming made my appetite vanish completely.

Separately, I felt an urge to set them on fire.

It felt like wanting to scorch them all clean with a super-powerful torch.

In contrast to me, the faces of the three others darkened.

Captain Lee, in particular, seemed agitated.

The same Captain Lee, who had stubbornly struggled until now, was completely fed up.

“……I wonder if there’s… anyone alive….”

At his quiet murmur, the air grew cold.

His dazed tone conveyed that he had received a great shock.

No more words followed.

The slightly intensifying snowfall made visibility difficult.

Even the zombies visible through the scattering snowflakes became hard to see.

It was as if a white curtain was being drawn, telling me to stop looking at such unsightly things.

I wanted to observe a little more, but since I couldn’t see, there was nothing to do.

*Free viewing ends here!*

*If you’re curious about what’s next, come down and see for yourself?*

*The payment is your lives.*

…Nonsensical thoughts came to mind.

But at this point, I truly wondered if the world was just chipping away at humanity.

It was a time when I had just pulled off something big and was about to feel a glimmer of hope.

It felt like that single thread of hope and will was being crushed.

Even I felt a sense of overwhelming despair, so I wondered about the others.

I understood Captain Lee’s quiet murmur from a moment ago.

Seeing it directly from a high vantage point made the immeasurable numbers feel even greater.

If that long, wide road was filled with corpses like a clogged blood vessel, what would the city center be like?

It would likely be worse, not better.

Perhaps, truly, there might be no more survivors.

I quietly retreated and sat down.

Heize’s face was also stiff, as if she had understood our conversation.

Lawrence slowly stroked her large belly, looking down at it.

Sergeant Kim was gnawing on his gloved fingers.

Sergeant Park had his head slightly bowed, looking only at the floor.

An inexpressible gloom and frustration emanated from everyone.

I also leaned back and closed my eyes.

‘I should hole up for a while.’

In times like this, it’s a good choice to protect oneself and observe the situation.

If you hate zombies, then just don’t look at each other.

I’ll endure without giving the zombies a reason to attack.

‘Find some things to enjoy and keep them handy…’

Considering what I had, it seemed nothing was impossible.

Housing was settled thanks to Representative Choi.

Plenty of food too.

Electricity and water were also supplied.

Farming would also be possible when spring arrived and the weather warmed.

If I do well, I might even film a segment titled, ‘The World is Like This, So I Have No Choice But To Start Being a Hikikomori.’

No, the possibility of it happening was high.

People might feel frustrated not being able to go far.

‘We could all grab guns and clear out the surroundings… or I could clear it out alone… that’s fine, right?’

Since there were people to be with, I probably wouldn’t feel lonely either.

Making Dong-woo do a 12-week body transformation project would be fun…

“Han.”

“Huh? Why?”

“What are you thinking?”

Heize, with a stiff expression, looked at me as if I were a strange person.

“Just zoning out. But why do you look at me like that?”

“…You’re not bothered? At all?”

“Ah. No, it does make my head hurt.”

“Head? Hurt? Soccer?”

“…It means my head hurts.”

“But why are you smiling a little?”

“Did I smile?”

“Yeah. A little… It’s strange. Scary.”

It seemed I had smiled unconsciously, and she probably thought I was crazy.

Even so, to make such an obvious expression.

“There’s a reason for it. But why do you look so crestfallen?”

“I saw it too. There are too many zombies….”

“There are indeed a lot.”

“…But you’re not bothered?”

I glanced at Heize, who sounded like someone who had just been hit by a strong dose of reality.

It was clear that the feeling of relief she’d felt while riding the helicopter had completely deflated.

“That’s not it.”

“Then why?”

“Why did I smile?”

Heize silently urged an answer with her eyes.

“I was thinking about what to do when we get back, and something funny came to mind.”

“…You’re a man with a lot of positivity.”

“A positive man.”

“A positive man. Yeah…. It’s strange.”

“So what? Am I supposed to be shocked and scream ‘Oh, damn it!’?”

When I said it lightly, Heize’s eyes twitched slightly.

“We’re not fighting them right now anyway.”

“Yeah….”

“And we’re passing by safely right now.”

“Right.”

“We’re not dying right away, so what’s the problem?”

Heize, as if dumbfounded, waved her hand and leaned back.

“I know why you’re acting like this.”

“Nope. You don’t know.”

Her resolute statement made me chuckle.

“Hey.”

“……”

“Heize.”

“……”

She expressed her unwillingness to talk to me by quickly turning her face away.

It seemed she was quite overwhelmed by the sight of the zombies.

I ignored her and proceeded with my ‘you listen, I’ll talk’ approach.

“You protected Lawrence for three months. And all by yourself.”

“……”

“It’s no different from that.”

“…What? Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Only the numbers have gotten bigger than back then.”

“Bullshit.”

“That’s a curse word, isn’t it?”

A phrase I had heard many times in movies popped out.

Contextually, it was indeed a curse word.

I spoke to Heize, who was on the verge of exploding.

“Don’t think about fighting those things right now.”

“Otherwise, we’ll all die. I know. I don’t want to fight.”

“Then don’t fight.”

“What the f—”

“Curse again, and you’ll be in trouble.”

When I cut her off and growled, Heize pressed her lips together.

“It’s not about fighting.”

“Then what?”

Heize, who didn’t even know why she was angry, became sharp-tongued.

I spoke to her calmly.

“It’s about surviving.”

“…Surviving?”

“That’s right. That’s exactly it.”

Heize narrowed her brows as if confused and tilted her head.

“I don’t get it??”

“Did you fight zombies at the base, or did you protect Lawrence?”

“Um… I protected Lawrence.”

“Right. You know well.”

“Are you saying what we need to do is ‘survival’?”

I nodded to Captain Lee, who asked in a slightly subdued voice.

“Everyone seems surprised by those numbers, and I’m no different.”

“…You don’t look it at all.”

“It’s your imagination.”

I gave a wry smile and scratched the back of my head.

“Well… anyway. Whether there are few zombies or they’re overflowing, isn’t what we need to do already decided?”

“……”

“Annihilating those things can wait. For now, we need to survive. What we have to do hasn’t changed.”

“…Surviving.”

Captain Lee quietly repeated the words.

My words might sound like wordplay, but they were also the truth.

Just as ‘A’ differs from ‘Oh’ [a proverb about subtle differences in meaning or nuance], it’s a matter of order and purpose.

We would have to keep encountering zombies anyway.

However, it was a question of whether to annihilate zombies or to survive.

Everyone, including myself, had gone through all that trouble to survive.

Captain Lee and Heize had done the same.

It was just that the sight of such an enormous number of zombies brought confusion.

If annihilation had been the goal from the beginning, they would be in the middle of those zombies down there, furiously shooting.

I, too, would have been smashing zombie heads from day one until now.

Though I now act nonchalant in front of others, the old me was no different from Captain Lee’s reaction.

Even at best, I had done far more than that.

It was an experience I gained after stubbornly enduring, constantly cursing under my breath.

Of course, unlike me who had faced the undead, it was their ‘first’ experience, so their frustration and shock were understandable.

This was the best I could say, unable to reveal my full history.

Understanding this and steeling their resolve was up to them.

Captain Lee translated what I said to Heize.

Then he stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Heize understood the words but had an unconvinced expression.

She let out a deep sigh and turned her gaze to the window.

“Huh?”

“??”

“What is that?”

Heize tapped my arm, her eyes fixed beyond the window.

“What is it? What do you see?”

“That. Can you see that?”

“…What is it?”

I followed Heize’s gaze and looked out the window.

“…What’s happening?”

Curious, Captain Lee also gazed out the window with me.

I confirmed that something was visible through the falling snowflakes.

“Isn’t that a flare?”

“…That’s right. Jo Junwi, can you see that?”

“……Confirmed. It’s a flare.”

A small, reddish light visible through the thick snowfall.

Slowly falling from the sky, it was indeed a flare.

Given its current position, the helicopter was moving away from the Han River and entering the city.

‘Why in a place like that?’

A flare in the middle of a zombie-infested city center… No, more than that…

“It looks like there are survivors.”

“……”

“Commander. What will you do?”

At Jo Junwi’s calm question, Captain Lee’s expression hardened.

“Can you maintain altitude and approach that area?”

“It’s possible.”

“We might provoke the zombies unnecessarily, so I’ll observe from above.”

The helicopter immediately turned its direction gently.

“If there are survivors, will you rescue them?”

“I’d like to, but it’s impossible right now… For now, I just want to assess the situation.”

Captain Lee, having spoken earnestly, soon leaned his body towards the cockpit.

Stroking his chin, he seemed a little anxious.

‘…He hopes there are survivors.’

He himself couldn’t do it, but Captain Lee seemed to be thinking that way.

Was it that I felt his anxious mood?

The helicopter tilted slightly forward and began to pick up speed.

The helicopter rapidly advanced through the falling snow towards the fading glimmer.