episode_0232

There was an impressive news story I saw a long time ago. A Koreatown in America. It was the story of Korean Americans who rose up to protect their lives there.

To protect themselves from the attacks, looting, and threats of the rioters, the Korean Americans at the time took up arms. Everyone gathered, established a defensive line, and secured their positions. And the Korean Americans, waiting quietly, fended off the rioters’ attacks. Once, twice, until the rioters retreated and the National Guard arrived to protect them.

It was a shocking anecdote for the time, when an atmosphere of looking down on Asians and treating them lightly was prevalent. The common reason why the Korean Americans were able to successfully repel the rioters was also shocking. All of them had military service experience. Middle-aged men with seemingly ordinary appearances. But inside, they were not.

Their basic marksmanship, high tactical understanding, and unity surprised the world. Of course, the military the world thinks of and our country’s military are somewhat different genres.

I read that article and thought. Koreans are indeed a people with the spirit of a warrior race ingrained within them. Is that why?

Those dogs from Taesong down below, who are supposedly Korean and thus on the defensive, are holding up quite well.

“They’re pretty good, aren’t they?”

A genuine, small exclamation of admiration. They are enduring against the zombies that pour in like a tidal wave.

For a moment, I watched the desperate struggle unfolding below with interest. It’s often said that war is a battle of attrition. It’s also a widely known fact that for an attacking force, it takes grinding down several times the defending force’s numbers to succeed.

A tall, sturdy barricade, 300 armed combat personnel. Considering that, I worked hard at night, scouring the neighborhood. I diligently ran through areas not far from the barricade. I searched for ‘mercenaries’ to help me in the two adjacent apartment complexes and densely populated residential areas, and then led them as I ran.

The bright red megaphone doing its job was a bonus. As a result. It was a bit of a struggle to gather them neatly, but I succeeded in herding them.

Even at a glance, there were simply a lot. There were so many that I felt I’d be screwed if I stumbled while running. It was a pity there were no variants among such a large number, but… I felt a glimmer of expectation that there would be no shortage in tearing them down.

In the middle, to balance things out, I burst lights and made holes in walls… Until additional personnel poured out from inside the stronghold building. Only after all this did it become an evenly matched fight.

And the fight was quite a spectacle. Just when it seemed like they were breaking through, they’d be pushed back, and just when it seemed like they were pushing back, they’d be pushed again. When the zombies swarmed in, firearms spewed fire all at once. When the firearms paused for reloading, the gaps were filled.

A feast of bright yellow lines clearly visible in the darkness. Explosions erupting everywhere and black smoke rising. The rough shouts of the living and the repulsive roars of the dead. Rotten blood scattering in all directions began to form puddles. Flesh that was ground, burst, and torn into pieces gradually began to form mounds.

Desperation. Between humans and zombies, there was a one-sided desperation. The fight between beings who disregard life and humans who fight with their lives on the line was…

“Damn, this is fun.”

It was so entertaining that I found myself thinking of popcorn. Was it ‘stop fights and encourage bargaining’? No. For this instance, I dare say our ancestors were wrong. It’s right to stop bargaining and encourage fights.

Look at this moment. Although it was something I started to screw them over and see their firepower, it has incredible entertainment value. This small nighttime event brought me great amusement.

The highlight was the big match between living humans and zombies. And perhaps a message of rewarding good and punishing evil. The fact that it was a fight against zombies that they could have handled but neglected. The fact that I interfered by breaking lights with weapons taken from them. And a small payback for bothering me, who had been minding my own business. This is why people should live good lives.

If this scene were made into a movie, I wonder if CEO Choi and Hyung would welcome it with open arms.

“……”

It seems there isn’t much time left to directly observe this enjoyable scene. The number of moving zombies has noticeably decreased. The number of guards remains the same, but their armaments can’t hold out. The intermittent flashes of gunfire are becoming more frequent.

Hesitation- The guards’ positions wavered little by little. Nervous shouts clamoring about something. Whether they ran out of bullets or their guns malfunctioned.

“Of course.”

Starting with a few who turned their backs and ran into the building, the formation collapsed. The zombies, closing the distance little by little, finally broke through the defensive line. At the same time, zombies even climbed over the barricade, stepping on the corpses of their own kind piled up there. The front line, which had been precariously maintained, crumbled in an instant. So futilely, considering the desperate struggle just moments before.

“Hmm…”

Watching the zombies overwhelm the humans who had formed a line on the barricade, I felt a slight regret. I wished to accomplish my goal without lifting a finger [a proverb about achieving something effortlessly]. The most ideal outcome was mutual annihilation, but a few zombies remained.

Watching the zombies tear at humans and rush into the building, I let out a small exclamation of admiration. Corpses stretched out along the barricade. Piles of corpses half-filling the broken wall. Shredded pieces of corpses even beyond the barricade.

If I hadn’t interfered, there’s a chance they would have defended it. The difference in elevation, powerful firepower, the advantage of defense. Though they were monsters who had lost their intellect, they were no different from unarmed humans. It was a fresh reminder, but I truly saw the power of modern heavy weaponry with my own eyes.

What particularly caught my eye was… ‘…A minigun… Its performance is deadly.’ The scene of it roaring and spitting flames was truly magnificent. The sight of zombies being shredded was also impressive.

If it weren’t for the problem of electricity, I would have found a way to borrow it— VROOOM-! I snapped my head around so quickly it created a whooshing sound.

At the end of the barricade, where engagements were relatively sparse, a rough engine sound was heard. Sure enough. Escort vehicles of a familiar appearance were rapidly leaving the building under the cover of night. Multiple vehicles sped away in a line. However, their direction was not towards me, but in another direction.

I had expected it, but it was earlier than I thought. Watching those bastards make their escape at such a good time, I gave a wry smile.

“I’ll miss th—” WHIRR WHIRR WHIRR- Just as I was about to dash out after the vehicles. This time, I heard a sound I recognized from the sky.

“Ha… these goddamn bastards, really.” How on earth did it get up there? A helicopter in the sky was moving away from the building. What impeccable timing on both sides.

I hesitated for a brief moment but quickly made up my mind. The one escaping by helicopter must be the important figure. If it’s going to happen anyway, I might as well pick the red skirt [a proverb about choosing the better option when both are available], so I’ll go after the important one.

With swift hands, I opened my inventory and grabbed an *asiba*. WHUMPH!! WHIZZ-!! Filled with impatience and fury, I threw the *asiba* with all my might. It tore through the air menacingly, flying towards the helicopter’s tail.

At that moment. SWAY- “Huh?”

The helicopter, gently tilting its body, gracefully dodged the *asiba* that had been aimed at its rear. Surely it didn’t dodge it intentionally… Feeling inexplicably provoked by its retreating form, I threw the *asiba* once more, but…

TILT- “Woah, damn it… twice?!” It felt more like it was accidentally dodged than intentionally avoided.

So, filled with even more rising fury, I was about to throw a third one, but… “……” I could feel the veins bulging on my forehead.

The helicopter was already too far away, and I no longer had an angle. I felt like I had won but lost… a foul feeling of not really winning even though I won, and I gritted my teeth slightly. The vehicles that had sped out from the corner had already disappeared somewhere.

“Huu…”

I blamed myself for being complacent while observing the exciting fight. I had expected those bastards to attempt an escape, but…

“…They’re damn cowardly and damn fast, those sons of bitches…” I never imagined they would abandon everything and flee before the battle was even over. And I hadn’t expected them to scatter and run. …It feels like I got blindsided.

Calming the foul feeling of having been provoked, I raised my head. Before me, the building was still emitting light. “……”

I’ll temporarily forget about the ones who escaped. If we both remain alive, we’ll surely meet again someday. Internally, I promised myself a next time and moved my hands.

Slowly, I took out items from my inventory and began preparing for a fight. For today, the choice was a gun. Having watched the gunfight, I felt like shooting one too.

So, I pulled out a rifle I had taken from the Daehan security bastards. I fully loaded my vest pockets with the confiscated magazines. Around my waist, I finished by strapping on the knife and sheath I had taken from the team leader bastard.

…The thought of going to screw them over with what I got from them actually made me feel better.

CLICK- SNICK- I set the selector switch to single fire and took my stance.

First, I’ll clear out as many of the remaining zombies from above as possible before entering. Thanks to the flood of light pouring from the building, I could discern their forms.

‘……’ Slowly, I aimed at a zombie’s head and gently pulled the trigger. THWIP- A quiet shot rang out, and a zombie wandering towards the building toppled over.

“Oh…” It’s a bit annoying that those fucking bastards made it, but I like its performance and effect. A special suppressor and subsonic rounds. I liked it.

I enjoyed the quiet impact as I calmly took them down one by one. Above the road, atop the barricade, near the stronghold entrance. There was no need to rush, so I dealt with them calmly, one by one. As I grew accustomed to shooting, the ratio of headshots increased.

After emptying a few magazines and feeling my proficiency rise in real-time, I burst the heads of all the zombies currently in sight.

After surveying ahead for a moment, I jumped down from my hidden position. THUD- I lightly climbed onto the nearby barricade and slowly looked around.

On the ground, a chaotic feast of flesh chunks was spread out. The mutilated corpses of guards, severely bitten and torn limb from limb. Zombie corpses riddled with holes like a beehive or shredded by bullets.

Amidst the lingering acrid scent of gunpowder, a metallic smell of blood mixed in. CLINK- With every step, the numerous shell casings scattered on the ground crunched underfoot.

Especially on the barricade where I stood, where they had set up camp and held out, it was even worse. Where the heavy weaponry had been, casings were piled high. Empty ammo cans rolling around added to the chaos. In the areas where zombies had massed, overlapping explosion marks testified to the ferocity of the fight.

“……”

I wondered if any of them might still be quietly twitching, but it was only silent. Confirming that the surroundings were clear, I descended from the barricade. I wanted to rummage around to see if there was anything worth taking, but I’d put it off for later. I strode towards the entrance of the stronghold building.

【Taesong Engineering】 The entrance, which had originally boasted incredible cleanliness, was a mess. The luxurious front doors had all been torn off. The once opulent walls and floor were broken and filthy.

Compared to how it looked in my memory, only the exterior remained. The large, spacious hall on the first floor was no different from any other abandoned building. A building was just a building.

Putting past memories aside, the moment I stepped inside. “Grr…k.” “……”

I saw zombies hunched over the reception desk about ten meters ahead. Corpses sprawled out, visible at a glance. Zombies burying their faces in them and slurping. One of them, deep in its feast, was tearing at flesh when its gaze met mine.

“Grrk?” “…Sorry to interrupt.” “SCREEEEECH!!”

Zombies, still with fragments of organs in their mouths, simultaneously raised their heads. It was grotesque enough to make me unconsciously squint slightly. Dozens of zombies, overturning their ‘meal table,’ shrieked and rushed forward.

“…I knew it was going too easy.” CLICK-! I set the selector switch to full-auto and pulled the trigger without hesitation. PFT-PFT-PFT! PFT-PFT-PFT! PFT-PFT-PFT-PFT-PFT-PFT-!! Perhaps it was because I wasn’t used to it. I should have aimed only for the head, but it wasn’t going as I wanted. Even hitting their neck, shoulder, or chest only made them falter for a moment; they didn’t stop their charge.

THWACK! THUD- CLICK! I quickly swapped magazines and calmly pulled the trigger. Just as I had learned, I took a proper stance and suppressed the recoil with force. PFT-PFT-PFT- PFT-PFT-PFT- The vibrations transmitted through my left hand gripping the barrel and my shoulder braced against the stock continuously felt like they were rattling my skull. Even so, the effect was immediate.

Shooting without flinching like a mannequin seemed to make me hit the heads well. Even so, there were more charging bastards than falling ones.

When one zombie darted past the muzzle, burrowing close. “KRAAA—!” THWACK-!! A simple kick, lifting a leg and powerfully pushing it away. The struck zombie flew backward, creating space.

PFT-PFT-PFT-! “KYAAAK!!” A zombie suddenly lunged out from the side, extending its arm.

SWISH- WHOOSH! I turned the muzzle inward, wrapped it around one of the zombie’s arms, and broke its balance. THUD-!! Immediately after pushing it away with my shoulder and body, creating space once more. I calmly maintained my stance and aimed for the zombies’ heads.

The speed at which I swung the muzzle increased, and my finger on the trigger became more precise. On the floor, corpses with burst heads rapidly increased in number, one by one. Among them, some would trip over corpses or slip in pools of blood. PFT-PFT-PFT-! PFT-PFT-PFT-

I aimed for the head of every single one, not missing a single one. If they charged close, I pushed them back with my body. Either kicking them in the stomach or breaking their knees to send them flying. Or swinging.

CRACK! Watching a zombie’s lower jaw shatter, spraying bodily fluids, and collapsing, I couldn’t help but utter a word. “Damn it!”

I reflexively swung the stock, and it shattered. Of all things, I broke the gun while finishing off the last bastard. CRUNCH- I irritably stomped on the remaining, still twitching head of the zombie, bursting it.

…The gun’s durability is too weak for me to swing. When I focus, I unconsciously put force into my swings. “Tsk.” I clicked my tongue softly and looked around the chaotic hall.

I quickly detached the heated suppressor, put it into my inventory, and took out a new gun. “…Where did all these bastards run off to?” Among the zombies that had just charged, there weren’t many who were the Daehan Security bastards. The number of personnel who fled inside during the fight was greater than this.

Upstairs or downstairs? Searching this massive building might be quite a hassle. As I followed the relatively clear footprints.

BOOOM-!! AAAAAH-!!!! KYAAAH~! A massive explosion and the sound of glass shattering struck the inside of the building. Followed by the screams of terrified people. I glanced upwards, then quickly began to ascend the stairs.