Infected - Chapter 502



Only Noblemtl

Episode 501

Boom!

A priest walking through a sewer shakes his shoulders at the sound of thunder in the distance.

Jaejae and Yeongman, who saw that sight, pretended not to see it and quietly hurried their steps.

Joo-won and Yoo-igo also realized that the atmosphere was not normal and kept their mouths shut.

After walking for a while, we finally reached the riverside again.

Young-man asked cautiously, watching the water rising.

“… What are Beomsik and Jang Liming thinking?”

“There’s not enough time to just wait for those two. It would be different if nothing happened. But since Hyunsoo has become like this, there’s nothing we can do.”

“I believe you, but honestly, I’m really worried about those two.”

“Don’t worry too much. If you were captured by the Anonymous Church or if something were wrong with you, they would have informed you first. You’ve got a good hostage.”

“I know. I’ve thought about that too. To be honest, they’re not people who can be caught as easily as you say. It’s just that the absence of the two of you feels too big at such an important time.”

“Me too.”

“I hope you are safe.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“That’s right.”

Youngman forced a smile.

Then, Juwon, who had been listening carefully, joined the conversation.

“I… … have a question.”

“Tell me.”

“If you don’t mind, may I ask how you’ve been doing?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“I think everyone is as curious as I am. Among the few people, there are American soldiers, Chinese, and North Koreans. I haven’t met all the survivors in Seoul, but it’s so fascinating.”

“We just happened to meet. Lee Tae-seong came down south because he had nothing to eat.”

“Oh, I see. It’s not something I should be saying in this atmosphere. But since we’re all from different countries, we’re like a dream team that’s going to save the planet.”

And then it was Joo-won who smiled happily.

Young-man’s eyes, which were blankly staring at his face, became bitter.

“When I look at Janelle, I feel strange because it’s like I’m looking at someone’s past.”

“Yes? Who is that?”

“Yes.”

Hyunsoo’s face, which he had seen a long time ago, came to mind in Jaejung and Yeongman’s minds.

At that time, Hyun-soo also used to chatter like that without stopping.

Juwon was a really bright guy, considering he had endured so long in that gloomy basement.

Just like Hyun-soo, who came back to life from the dead in front of a gas station and started laughing brightly.

Joo-won, who had been passing over the story that he didn’t know, asked the priest this time.

“Everyone calls you ‘priest’, so can I call you that too?”

“Please do so.”

The priest answered with a slight bow.

“You are truly handsome, priest. I think you are the most handsome priest I have ever seen.”

“Well… I hear that often.”

“Yes? It’s not something you hear often. It must have been hard to live as a priest. I don’t think the women will leave you alone. Oh, is it a bit rude to talk about this?”

The priest had a look on his face that said there was no problem at all.

“No. I am used to it. And even if it were not about the opposite sex, life as a priest is difficult enough. Compared to ordinary people, you have to live a life of celibacy in almost every aspect.”

“That’s amazing. But, don’t you think it’s a bit empty if everyone just calls you Priest? I’m sure you have a name.”

“No, it’s not. A name is just a name. Whatever you call me, I’m just me.”

“You speak just like a monk.”

“There is no difference between a monk and a priest. In the end, what they pursue is the same.”

Juwon’s eyes turned lonely for a moment at the priest’s straightforward answer.

“When I see you, priest, I think a lot about my parents.”

“Were your parents Catholic?”

“Yes. He was a very devout believer.”

“You are great people. Then, brother… … .”

“no.”

Juwon shook his head with a heavy expression.

“You tried to persuade me to go with you, but I never once accepted your request. Of course, I still regret it. If I had known the world would turn out like this, I should have gone with you at least once. The fact that I didn’t… still lingers in my heart.”

“It’s okay. What’s important is to have that kind of mindset, even if it’s late.”

“I think that’s why I joined the anonymous sect. It was a feeling of regret mixed in, you know. Well, it’s not like I followed the leader. For some reason, I felt a sense of relief when I did religious activities, like I was with my parents.”

The priest, who had been staring at Juwon, asked with a puzzled face.

“Oh, do you practice religious activities as an anonymous believer?”

“Of course. Of course.”

“I see. I thought you were just a bunch of people who got together randomly and pretended to be people, but you were actually engaging in proper religious activities. It’s even more frightening.”

“Hmm… What the Anonymous Church claims is that Mary, Jesus, and Buddha, who are followed in every culture, are all human beings. They were all clearly born of humans and died as humans. The same goes for the leader of the cult. He is the son of God, the representative of God, the savior of humanity sent by God, the Messiah.”

“That’s a plausible story. I could argue with you all night, but it’s a fascinating story in this day and age.”

“Don’t most people get offended when they tell stories like this?”

The priest smiled broadly.

“A person with a firm faith does not judge the faith of others arbitrarily. They simply respect it. If I meet an unknown religious leader and convince him perfectly with doctrine and logic, will he stop his religious activities? All religions have flaws. They cannot be perfect. Therefore, there is nothing more foolish than religious people insisting that their words are right. I don’t know about others, but I think so.”

“Wow, really… You have no problem talking about anything. I respect you, Father.”

“No problem.”

The priest bowed his head with a smile.

The heavy atmosphere was gradually easing the anxiety through Juwon’s efforts, not his own.

In this way, he became friendly with his group.

Finance, which had escaped the sewer, sent a signal to wait and then went to the riverbank first.

Since there was no suspension bridge, I had to check it with my own eyes every time before moving.

Swish!

The pouring rain instantly soaked Jae-jae’s body.

A while ago it was snowing lightly, but this time it was pouring rain.

I couldn’t tell if spring was finally coming or if the weather was just returning to normal.

Jae-jae, who had been stealing the rainwater that was blocking his eyes, walked along the grass and went up to the street.

Then he stuck his head out and looked around.

I had been there a few days ago, but the heavy rain made it feel like a different place.

How long has it been since I’ve been scanning the area with my telescope?

Only after making sure that the surroundings were safe did Finance cross the road with his group.

And I walked between the road and the ramp, over the noise barrier that had collapsed in the traffic accident.

Not a single word was exchanged.

It was raining so hard, and everyone seemed nervous that they might not be able to hear if zombies appeared.

After walking for a while, I arrived at the corner of a familiar shopping district.

Young-man, who was following behind Jae-jae, twitched the tip of his nose.

It was because of a pungent smell coming from somewhere.

But the smell of blood was strangely familiar.

Even if other people didn’t know, Youngman could definitely feel it.

“Look here.”

“yes?”

Jae-jae stopped walking and looked back.

He read a strange sense of uneasiness in Youngman’s eyes.

“Why is that?”

“I don’t have a good feeling about this. How about going into a store to take shelter from the rain for a while before you go?”

“Why are you doing that?”

“It smells.”

“What does it smell like?”

“I can smell blood. I’ve been saying this for a while now. You can call me crazy. I could be mistaken. But unless my nose is crazy, it can’t hurt to be careful.”

Finance tilted its head.

Then I stared at the rainwater flowing down the hill from the apartment complex to the front of the store.

After a few seconds like that.

Jae-ui’s face, which was scooping up rainwater with both hands, turned towards Yeong-man.

That’s right.

The rainwater flowing down the slope contained something diluted and bright red.

It wasn’t Youngman’s mistake.

At that moment, Jaejae, who had been standing there blankly, started running in front of the store at incredible speed.

“Hey, look at this!”

Young-man, in a panic, reached out his hand, but Jae-jae was already as far away as he was.

“Everyone, go after him! Priest, protect that guy from the third floor window!”

Youngman’s voice shakes the minds of the group that was following him.

As the priest ran up the stairs of the store with all his might, Juwon and Yuigo also hurriedly chased after Jaejae.

But it wasn’t enough to keep up.

Finance had already gone uphill and arrived at the apartment complex.

A small door installed under the fence was shaking back and forth in the wind.

The rainwater flowing down there was carrying a much larger amount of red energy than before.

Thud thud!

The heart of finance that took each step forward pounded as if it was about to burst.

Even though it was raining heavily, it couldn’t have been this quiet.

By now someone should have come out and greeted the group.

Finance, who had passed the fence, hid himself next to the guardhouse and searched the interior of the complex thoroughly.

The apartment complex, which had been bustling with life just a few days ago, was as quiet as a ghost town.

A strange sense of silence felt in the sound of rain.

Jaejae, who had been listening to the silence, sensed that something unusual had happened.

Meanwhile, Young-man, Ju-won, and Yu-igo, who had narrowed the distance, crossed the fence and joined Jae-jae.

At the signal, they split into pairs and dispersed to either side.

Jae-jae is with Ju-won, and Yeong-man is with Yu-igo.

The destination was the management office located right in the center.

Telescopes scattered on both sides simply scanned the area.

In the many closely packed buildings, no threat was detected.

Something has to be alive and moving to detect danger.

There was no one alive or dead here.

Even the common zombies are nowhere to be seen.

Jae-jae, holding a rifle in front of his chest, walks slowly down the road.

Children’s toys and play equipment that should have been in the playground were strewn along the road.

Excessive finance, like crossing a tightrope, suddenly stopped when it found something.

Something that had been blown by the wind and pushed into the flower bed rolled towards his feet.

It was a soccer ball.

I’m talking about the soccer ball that he personally picked up with his own hands a few days ago.

Around that time.

We arrived near the Yeongmando Management Office, just looking around the interior to the north.

Chi-chik!

[I’ll go in too.]

The priest’s voice flowed from the rain-soaked radio, but Young-man was unable to respond.

A stream of water runs down his walker, covering it in red.

When Young-man’s eyes, which had been following the stream of water, reached the management office door.

The group discovered blood seeping out of a crack in the door about twenty meters away.

Youngman grabbed the cross pendant hanging around his neck.

My hands were trembling as I touched the pendant.

The tremors spread through his shoulders and neck and into his voice.

“…God ​​the Father, have mercy on us. Show us mercy and grace, Lord, who came to call sinners. Guide us with your word and keep us from being ruled by sins.”

And one step.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Five steps.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Ten steps.

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Young-man finally arrived at the management office where blood was oozing out.

“God, Father. The rebellious crowd has tested Your authority, invaded Your land, and trampled on Your people. Please help me not to back down, but to step forward in fear and pain… … .”

He opened the firmly closed door with all his might.

And I saw.

Dozens of corpses, regardless of age or gender, piled up on top of each other, and heavy rain pouring down from the broken ceiling soaked with flowing blood.

It was a living hell.

“…Please give me strength.”

Infected people