episode_0238

The minigun itself wasn’t unfamiliar. I’d seen it often in movies, and today, I’d even seen one in person. I’d even witnessed a demonstration of it powerfully grinding zombies to dust. Yet, the reason for my admiration was simple.

“It’s cool….”

With its long, powerful appearance and even a touch of sophistication, the real black heavy weapon resting before me exuded coolness. There was just one thing. Except for a single flaw.

“…?”

A square box, ill-fitting, was attached to the bottom of the body. It wasn’t small either. I didn’t know its purpose, but this one thing detracted from its coolness. As I was about to move on, smacking my lips, I noticed a small piece of paper underneath. It was a manual with explanations about the weapon. The kind of flimsy, heavily folded manual you get when you buy a smartphone.

“Is this a home appliance?”

I chuckled, picking up the paper. Any man would read a product manual at least once. Reading through a few lines of the simple specifications and introduction, I furrowed my brow.

‘…A prototype focused on portability and sustainability?’

Now that I thought about it, the ‘P’ stood for ‘prototype’. It said it had a firing rate of 1,000 to 3,000 rounds per minute, but I wasn’t sure if that was good. Just as I nodded and was about to put the paper down.

『Rechargeable Battery』 A short phrase caught my eye, stopping my movement. The ill-fitting box must have been the battery. I focused on the explanation that it could last for about 5 minutes if the firing rate was pulled to maximum. In other words, it was limited, but it could be used while moving.

“……”

The minigun looked a little different as I looked at it again. *Grab!* I gripped the sturdy, well-handling handle of the body and lifted the heavy weapon. This wasn’t the time, but it was impossible to just pass by.

“Ohh.”

Its base weight seemed to be about 45kg. They said it focused on portability, but that was a failure. It would be impossible for an ordinary person to carry this weight around. Considering carrying the bullets as well… That’s probably why it was named a prototype.

“But not for me.”

This much weight was no problem. I held the well-balanced minigun and took a stance. It felt like a surge of courage along with a sense of reliability. I really liked the heavy feel too. A fleeting suspicion crossed my mind: could Taeseong have custom-made this for me? The thought that I needed to hurry was pushed aside by the feeling of receiving a new toy. I fumbled and flipped the switch, but nothing changed. But—

*Whirrrrrr—* When I gently pulled the trigger, it moved smoothly.

*Press firmly—* *Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—!!!* When I pressed the trigger down, the barrel rotated at an incredible speed.

“…………”

An intense vibration traveled up my hand. What kind of sensation would it give if it were actually fired… I carefully put the minigun back into its storage case and neatly tucked away the manual. I worried that if I fiddled with it any longer, I might stay up all night. So, I tidied it up and reverently placed it in my inventory. This minigun alone was a sufficient reward for tonight. It had its limitations, but if I could just find a way to utilize it…

“…They’re all dead.”

Suppressing the surging thrill, I began to sweep up the weapons. Size didn’t matter. Only whether they could be used or not. In that sense, there was nothing on this floor I could afford to miss. Overall, about 30% were already taken out, ready for immediate use. The rest were neatly stored in luxurious cases. I gathered the boxes as if picking up a delivery parcel left at the guardhouse. I looked forward to the enjoyable unboxing time later. Everything except the weapon boxes was ammunition. Familiar ammo cans, which I’d seen many times, were neatly stacked to the brim. It partially brought to mind the armory I’d encountered at Yongsan. Back then, I’d only glanced at a portion, but today was different. I walked quickly, absorbing everything visible into my inventory. Not long after I started actively collecting, the 4th floor was emptied. The 5th floor, which I moved to immediately, was the same. Since the 5th floor only contained ammo cans, I stored them in my inventory without hesitation.

‘Damn it, when will I figure all this out?’

I shook my head in a pleasant despair that made my vision blur. But feelings were feelings, and reality was reality. Solving one problem brought another to mind. First, I didn’t know how to handle many of the weapons. Even if I learned, the ammunition was the problem. When I entrusted the ammunition and magazines to Sohee and Incheol before, it was clear it was no ordinary chore. I’d tried it a bit myself, and it was a dizzying task. I briefly pondered it while ascending to the 6th floor, but no good ideas came to mind. The moment I stepped onto the 6th floor, burdened by frustrating thoughts.

“…Why is it so cold?”

I was slightly surprised by the indoor temperature, which dropped sharply, similar to outside. I checked for broken windows, but there were none. Only the sound of air conditioning running filled the quiet corridor, with no wind noise.

“?”

I looked up at the ceiling and saw the ceiling-mounted air conditioners running at full blast. These crazy bastards didn’t know the value of electricity; they should have at least turned off the air conditioning. If the whole nation knew this, they would surely be torn to pieces.

‘Will such a future really come…?’

Personally, I wished they would be publicly executed like in the Middle Ages. A barbaric but exhilarating punishment, like having their heads chopped off by a guillotine or being disemboweled alive and having their guts stirred. As I seriously pondered what methods of torture I could inflict, my eyes landed on edible items.

“Potatoes…?”

No matter how I looked at them, they were ordinary potatoes. Fresh ingredients commonly seen in large supermarkets. Vacuum-packed ingredients, notable for their cleanliness and hygienic processing.

“…Is this everything?”

The 6th floor was a space for fresh ingredients with short shelf lives, where freshness was crucial. Onions, carrots, and a few other types. The variety wasn’t wide, but the ‘quantity’ and ‘storage method’ were important. The sheer amount rivaled a produce market, and everything was uniformly vacuum-packed. Normally, they should be stored in a cool place… A sudden thought made me look up at the ceiling again.

“These bastards, surely…?”

I realized it upon seeing the air conditioners running strongly even in the middle of winter, and these items. These bastards seemed to have used the entire building as a refrigerator. It sounded unbelievable, but these guys were actually doing it. As proof, the ingredients before my eyes all looked to be in excellent condition. I’d heard of Eskimos using ice to create instant freezers for storage. But the scale of this was different, an idiotic yet ingenious idea that made my jaw drop. Shaking my head in disbelief, I gathered the neglected ingredients. Thanks to the consistently cool temperature, their condition remained perfectly fine. Vegetables, a few fruits, and some smoked processed foods. I scooped everything up while looking around, but there was nothing unusual. I wondered where they did the vacuum packing, but it didn’t seem to be here.

“Is there another base I don’t know about?”

Department Head Kim said that all the other places had collapsed. If there was a place that Department Head Kim didn’t even know about, it would be worth raiding. No, I definitely want to raid it. Of course, after thoroughly clearing this place out first. However, contrary to my eagerness, the 7th floor was completely empty. There was nothing left. Only a few broken ingredients rolled on the floor, as if their packaging had burst. It was clearly a scene where items had been quickly moved out.

“Haa…”

I understood why Department Head Kim and that team leader did what they did. Calling a place this big a “base” must have truly meant nothing more than that. A temporary transit point. Or perhaps a logistics hub in the middle. Where did they go? Suppressing the joy of looting, my mind was filled with thoughts of their whereabouts. And a small regret lingered.

“I wish I could mess them up more….”

I soothed my regret and rummaged through the remaining floors. But they were all neatly empty. All that remained were long wheel tracks leading down the corridor to the cargo elevator. What was clear was that each floor had been used as a refrigerator. If I had arrived here a little sooner, I might have hit the jackpot. Passing through the empty levels, I arrived at the top floor. Here, at least, some semblance of an office remained.

“……”

Only a semblance. All the computers were scorched and broken. Papers and trash lay scattered on the floor. Some trash cans even had charred remains in them. Office space and a small living area. There were people who ate and slept here.

‘Clever bastards.’

There was nothing left but trash. No traces at all that could lead me to them. I searched the eerie office but found nothing. As I let out a small sigh, I found and entered a somewhat larger private office. What was unusual was that several monitors were installed on the desk. Aside from being a bit larger and more luxurious inside, it was no different from the outside.

‘……’

The computer tower was torn open, and the hard drive was completely missing. At this point, it was clear these bastards had committed a crime. And they were well aware of that fact themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to erase their tracks. I searched a bit more, but nothing turned up. There wasn’t even a small USB stick, nor a single piece of paper lying around.

“Sigh….”

It would have been good if something had turned up, but it was a bit disappointing. I was trying to soothe my frustration when I turned away from the desk.

“……”

In a corner nook of the bookshelf, a person was leaning against the wall. More precisely, it was the slumped corpse of a young woman leaning against the wall. The corpse, with a pretty face and dressed in a neat suit, had a hole in her head. Dark red blood, mixed with tears, had streamed down from her head, leaving clear streaks on her face. The corpse of a woman who had died cleanly, with a neat appearance, on the top floor. It felt strange, so I was about to search her pockets. But the clothing on the corpse was already disheveled. The pockets of her half-torn top were all turned inside out. She hadn’t been assaulted or violated. Someone had searched her and taken something from her. That was all I could tell. Since I wasn’t a detective or an investigator, meaningful discoveries were difficult. *Rustle—* I closed her unseeing eyes in a gesture of mourning and stood up. Leaving the unsettling top floor behind, I searched all the remaining buildings. The Logistics building and the Digital Center. It didn’t take long. Only a few items and vehicles were in the Digital Center’s underground loading dock. There was nothing left in the two buildings. Only traces of having been used for similar purposes remained. It seemed these guys were indeed in the process of leaving Seoul. I regretted not being able to completely plunder everything, but I had to be satisfied with having taken a significant portion. As I trudged outside, I stopped in my tracks.

“No, no….”

I changed my direction and headed towards the machine rooms of each building. And I also visited the EPS rooms on each floor of the parking garage. The reason was simple. It would just feel incomplete if I left without doing anything. Small and cramped, but a tiny room where all kinds of electrical wiring ran, converged, and passed through. *Splish-splash— Splish-splash—* I drenched and drenched the EPS room on the lowest floor with gasoline. To bring down a large entity, one must aim for its weaknesses. To start a fire, target places vulnerable to fire. Various cables and wiring, which cut off electricity but are weak against fire. On the surface, they might appear resistant to fire. On the surface. Korean construction culture isn’t about regulations and safety, but about speed and haste. Fast speed and low cost are advantages, but also weaknesses. Fast speed leads to shoddy construction. Low cost determines the inferior quality of materials. Moreover, it was an old building, and I knew this place a little. These buildings were good kindling, just flashy on the outside.

*Whoosh—!!* The small EPS room burst into flames in an instant. The flames spread along the wiring, beneath the tiles, and upwards. Places beyond human reach. The dust accumulated on the wiring served as excellent tinder. I moved quickly upon seeing the flames rise properly. I set fire to each EPS room and the adjoining storage rooms. I set fire to the ceiling and electrical outlets on the second floor of the building. Especially, I set fire to the bodies piled up on the stairs of the engineering building. I also burned all the bodies in the lobby and at the main entrance. As soon as I set fires at each location, I ran to the basement and got into the car.

“Kuh-ohhh~” “……”

…Kim Hyunwoo must have been very tired, as he was still sound asleep. I didn’t know if he was naturally easygoing or just had thick skin. *Rumble—* I drove out of the parking garage, where smoke was beginning to spread, and emerged outside. *Jolt—Jolt!* *Crunch—Crack!* I drove recklessly over the burning zombie corpses. The moment I bounced through the main gate, driving over the surging car.

*Bang!!* *Shatter—!!*

The fire must have truly taken hold, as windows shattered and flames soared. Harmful-looking black smoke also billowed through the broken gaps. *Flicker—!* The building’s lights went out all at once, as if the fire was doing its job. What illuminated the night was the violently blazing crimson flame. And the flames spread slowly, little by little, upwards. It was like it was gnawing away from the bottom, piece by piece. I parked the car on Hae-maji Bridge right in front and lit a cigarette.

*Click—* *Bang!*

The sound of glass bursting echoed simultaneously with the flick of the lighter.

“…It burns well.”

Even now, glass was still shattering, unable to withstand the heat. When glass shattered, smoke and flames intensified through the gaps. I was worried it wouldn’t catch fire, but it was a relief that it burned so well. I watched leisurely until the cigarette was completely consumed. I enjoyed watching the flames slowly gnaw away at the building. I tossed the cigarette butt and got back in the car. I slowly retraced my steps, constantly glancing back at the receding building. When I first arrived, it felt like a city that never sleeps. Now, what was it like? It felt like a small bonfire in the middle of a dark forest. Very small and shabby, but conspicuous because it was dark…? Eventually, I carefully preserved the building, which had disappeared from my sight, in my memory. I slowly drove through the streets in the car Taeseong had prepared.

‘…I wonder.’

I don’t know if those bastards will come to that place or not. But what if, by chance, they returned and witnessed that sight? Would they cry tears of despair? Would they let out a hollow laugh of futility? Or would they just say, “Damn it,” and that would be the end of it?

“Heh heh~”

Whatever it was, I had a small wish that they would take a hit. The only regret was that I couldn’t see their vivid expressions. That fact was so regrettable. For now, even this regret was enjoyable. Still, someday, I might get to see their horrified faces. With that small expectation, I gently pressed the pedal. The truck diligently sped towards home.