Infected - Chapter 52



Only Noblemtl

Episode 51

Finance opened its eyes.

I looked around and saw that he was sitting on a chair inside a tent with no walls.

The back of my head feels cold, like I got hit by a butt plug… … .

Fortunately, his limbs were not tied down.

He reached out and touched the back of his head.

Then I felt a hardened scab, and the second face I saw in my clear vision was sitting there.

A man wearing a robe with a bald head.

He was sitting across from Finance, a desk between them.

All around are white tents.

Three armed soldiers stood behind him.

Finance saw the man.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like I needed even a handful.

It wasn’t difficult, even with three soldiers standing behind the finances.

Since I’m right-handed, I just had to hit the guy standing on the right rear and take his gun.

You could have taken me hostage.

If the remaining two guys fired their guns, I could use them as cannon fodder.

Finance was the one who could do that.

There’s more than enough left.

With the skills and experience I learned in the military and the improvisation I acquired while working as a police officer.

He was a monster who single-handedly crushed dozens of heads in the hospital cafeteria.

A few of these rascals were nothing.

but…….

That couldn’t be possible.

It’s true that my blood is boiling and I’m angry, but this is a safe zone.

How many trials did you have to go through to get here?

First of all, it had to be resolved through dialogue.

The man spoke first.

“What is your name?”

The deep, low-pitched voice and calm expression created a strangely comfortable atmosphere.

“Before that, please explain to us why you’re doing this to us. And where the rest of the people went.”

“You are seriously mistaken. In fact, I know your name from my colleagues, Mr. Han Jae-jeong. Let me be clear: I am not sitting here to be asked questions. I am sitting here to ask questions.”

Finance kept its mouth shut.

“You’re not going to say anything, are you? Hmm… … .”

The man nodded with his arms crossed and continued speaking.

“Okay. Since this is your first time here, I’ll answer this question just this once. There are a whopping 100,000 people in this safe zone. We’ve put all our effort into protecting this place, and we’ve made countless sacrifices to survive until today. What if an outsider comes into our home? And that would be after a long time has passed since the incident.”

“Isn’t the safe zone for survivors?”

“Yes. But what do you think you are to the survivors here, including me? What emotions do you feel? Joy? Relief that there are other survivors? No. It’s just like being handed a box with unknown contents. The excessive vigilance we show is natural. If even one infected person appears inside, this large safe zone will collapse in less than half a day. That’s why we need to check each and every one of your physical conditions, and we also need to investigate your past to see what you did.”

“What about the rest of the people?”

“Everyone has completed their investigation and is undergoing a physical examination.”

“Go ahead, investigate.”

Finance nodded with open arms.

Even though it would have been understandable to be angry at his uncooperative attitude, the man sat with the same expression on his face the whole time.

“Please tell me about what you were doing outside.”

“Gangnam Police Station, Violent Crimes Unit, Inspector Han Jae-jeong. Is this enough? It’s easy for me to ask questions due to my job, but it’s a bit difficult to do the opposite.”

“Next. There are various areas within the safe zone. From the military unit responsible for the safety of this place, to the area that grows food by tending the gardens in preparation for long-term situations, to the area responsible for the maintenance of the outer walls. What do you think you are good at?”

“I don’t know what I’m good at, but the closest thing I’ve ever done is military service. But if I go, these guys will have a hard time. They’re all fresh-faced active-duty soldiers.”

Finance looked around at the soldiers standing behind him and sneered.

The face looks familiar.

They were the soldiers who attacked the treasury by stepping on the riverbank earlier.

The man was not emotionally agitated by whatever the finances said.

Just take notes whenever necessary.

It was as if a robot was having a conversation with a person.

“Well, you can figure that out yourself. Next. I heard about Captain Kang Jin-hyeok. And that he happened to be communicating with you via transceiver. What did you hear from Captain Kang?”

“Why is that?”

“It’s a formal investigation. I don’t know about anything else, but we need to at least verify what you said.”

Finance tilted its head.

The words did not make sense.

The man said he had finished investigating the rest of the group.

But you’re verifying the story?

And the story about Captain Kang wasn’t something Jae-jae said.

Right then.

A thought suddenly crosses my mind.

I recalled Captain Kang’s words that there might be a close escape operation, limited to high-ranking officials of the Korean government.

So, I was planning to come to Yeouido along the river soon.

It would be bad for the survivors in the safe zone to know this.

Perhaps uncontrollable chaos will ensue.

Finance answered.

“I heard something. But I don’t know if it’s okay to just say whatever you want. And if you want to get the information you want, you have to give me what I want, right?”

For now, I thought about it while buying some time.

I also had to figure out what this man wanted and what his intention was in asking.

Even if you tell me later, there were many choices.

If I was going to beat him up and force him to solve this, I would have done it already.

No matter how much outsiders talk, in the end what they need is people.

“What do you want?”

“What do you do?”

The man stared at the finances.

Her thick double eyelids and large eyes, drier than the desert, stared at me as if they would swallow up my finances.

“My name is Hyunseok Lee. People call me Doctor. I am a biology professor and I used to be the director of the infectious disease policy division at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was until last week.”

“You are an educated person.”

“So… what did you hear from Captain Kang?”

“Wouldn’t it be faster if you asked Captain Kang directly?”

The doctor, who had always had the same expression on his face, suddenly leaned back in his chair.

Then he slowly crossed his legs and smiled strangely.

“I don’t know how much you know about the current situation, but our troops currently stationed in the western seas have two choices. One is to help us when we need them, and the other is… Anyway, what is our position? We shouldn’t do anything that would go against their wishes, even the slightest. It would have been easier if we could have asked Captain Kang in the first place. But we’re not that close. Oh, of course, it wouldn’t matter if Jae-Jeong knew about this story. What I’m curious about is… … .”

“Is there anything I know that could be a problem?”

“you’re right.”

“If you ask like this, who would answer even if they knew? The order of the questioning itself is wrong. If something like this happens again, you should ask me. You should know what questioning to ask and then ask it. That’s why people who just roll their pens… Anyway, I understand. A promise is a promise.”

He pretended that he couldn’t help it because of financial constraints.

It has become certain.

What the man was curious about was whether the group knew about the escape operation.

Because if the plan to only allow VIPs to escape is leaked, the order in the safe zone will be greatly shaken.

As soon as I heard things like the production area and the exterior wall maintenance area, I got a feeling.

What kind of place this is and how it is run.

Everyone’s life may depend on whether or not this is revealed.

As the thought reached this point, Finance was sure that the rest of the group had fallen silent.

At least this question.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to ask so patiently.

If they were the kind of people who would point guns at civilians and commit violence, then killing someone who was against their purpose would be a no-brainer.

Actually, I didn’t know how to react.

You might not believe it.

But I felt like I would never let it go even though I knew it.

Because we don’t want anyone to be involved in the operation.

Finance threw out the bait.

“This… is confidential, they said I can’t tell anyone.”

“So you need to tell me even more so that we can write a pledge to prevent leaks or make a promise.”

“Honestly, I’m worried. I’ve barely made it to the safe zone, and I don’t want to be kicked out or killed just because I heard a few strange words. You don’t know how we got here.”

“I promise on my name that such a thing will never happen. And we have never thrown anyone out or caused anyone harm that could be considered fatal. Now, trust us and tell us about what you heard from Captain Kang.”

The doctor leaned his upper body forward.

The fact that he was so persistent meant that his thinking was correct.

At least that’s what Finance thought.

Although he didn’t show it, the doctor’s face was probably stamping his feet in impatience.

Although Finance is not a physiognomist, there are things I have realized through seeing the faces of countless people and repeatedly questioning and interrogating them.

Based on that, the doctor’s eyes in front of me now were like that.

It’s burning like a bonfire with the oil of greed poured on it.

He was the type who was cold, persistent, and would use any means necessary to achieve his goals.

Dangerous person.

Finance also put its body out there.

“Captain Kang said… that the only places where this virus has spread are Japan and our country. And we can never go outside the border.”

The doctor’s bright eyes pierced Jae-yi’s.

He just stared blankly with an unchanging face.

It was an expression that would give a normal person goosebumps.

The doctor nodded slowly.

Then he made a face as if he was deep in thought.

He didn’t show any emotion at all, so I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“That’s fine. I already informed everyone two days ago. But it’s strange. Everyone in the group gave similar answers. It’s as if they were giving prepared answers. In other words, you could say they’re telling the truth, so I’ll accept that. And… … .”

The doctor took a pistol out of the drawer.

“The misunderstanding about this gun has also been resolved. Likewise, everyone’s statements are consistent. Since there is no way to verify it at this point, we have no choice but to believe it.”

“What is that gun that makes you do that?”

“There are not only Korean soldiers here. There are also American soldiers. Of course, it is against the guidelines, but some officers who have been deployed for a long time often carry homemade weapons. The problem is that Mr. Jae-jae was carrying the weapons of those who went to secure oil. Anyway, the basic procedures are all over. There were some violent situations along the way, but I hope you understand. After the physical examination, the person in charge will introduce you to the safe zone. That’s all for now.”

With those words, the doctor disappeared out of the tent with two of the three soldiers.

Only then did Finance breathe a sigh of relief.

I pretended like nothing was wrong and went at it hard, but in fact, I was anxious every moment.

I’m not some sociopath or anything.

There was no one in the world who looked at people like that.

Rather, I was quite surprised by the fact that everyone in the group gave the same answer.

Well, it was fortunate anyway.

Because it’s important that everyone thinks the same way.

Lee Beom-sik, it was a blessing that that idiot was more intelligent than I thought.

“Please stand up. I will take you to the physical examination room.”

“This isn’t a training camp or anything… … .”

Jae-jae, who had raised his body, looked at the face of the soldier who was ahead.

His cheekbones and eyes were swollen.

He was a guy who exchanged punches and money.

“excuse me…….”

The soldier stopped.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Do you smoke?”

He let out a long breath and reluctantly nodded.

“Yes, I do. Can I have some?”

“No, I’ll give it to you. Let’s take a ride together.”

The soldier, who had been looking around for a moment, disappeared behind the tent with the finances.

Infected people