Infected - Chapter 520



Only Noblemtl

Side story episode 7

On the road dripping with blood.

Twenty men, leaning on each other’s bodies, move forward with difficulty.

For some reason, Gaon sent them all back alive.

And I went up to the roof of the building, where I could see the surrounding area at a glance.

Gaon spreads out his notebook and draws a map of the surrounding area.

I also took note of the route they took to escape.

Next to him, Seonwoo was drawing a smaller version of the map.

“When drawing a map of a place you see for the first time, draw two things.”

It was a lesson in finance.

Among the three who were watching, the man with particularly thick eyebrows opened his mouth.

He was handsome enough to stand out no matter where he went.

“Thank you for your help.”

Then the other two added as if they had been waiting for it.

“I survived thanks to you.”

“What do you plan to do now?”

Seonwoo, who was drawing a map, looked back at the woman’s question.

“We have to fight.”

“… What? You’re fighting?”

“huh.”

The three people were greatly embarrassed.

I thought we’d return to where we were after defeating the enemies.

“Those people will find you somehow.”

“It’s what I was hoping for.”

“The people you saw earlier were just the pursuers. Soon, all the soldiers at the outpost will arrive.”

The woman raised her voice, perhaps frustrated by Seonwoo’s easygoing attitude.

Then the man standing next to her stepped forward to stop her.

He was the tallest of the three and at first glance he looked extremely gentle.

“Calm down, Yeju. Let’s listen to the story first.”

Then they introduced themselves to Gaon and Seonwoo.

“I’m Hwang Si-won. The one with thick eyebrows is Han Seung-woo, and the girl is Son Ye-ju.”

“Oh, right. I’m Choi Seon-woo.”

“I’m Kim Ga-on. But how old are you all?”

Gaon asked while drawing a map.

“All three are nineteen.”

“We’re the same age.”

“Oh, really?”

Hwang Si-won’s eyes widened.

It’s not easy to meet peers in this world.

Because 10 years ago, when the virus was rampant, we were all children.

A generation that had no choice but to die relatively easily.

“If you have time to be surprised, familiarize yourself with the surrounding buildings. If the soldiers come soon, as you said, you’ll have to fight inside.”

Han Seung-woo answered.

“Are you really going to fight? All you have are two pistols. Those guys aren’t as easy as you think. Of course, you’re really great, but your opponents are soldiers armed with rifles.”

“So you’re saying you’re fighting indoors? If you’re armed with rifles, it’s a good thing. They’re going to provide you with weapons.”

“You came from Seoul? Let’s just go back. It’ll be safer to go and tell people.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“why?”

Gaon spread out the map.

There was a long line running down the center of the map.

“Because no one can go above this line.”

“Then we’ll go to Seoul and inform them of this situation.”

Gaon shook his head.

“There’s no need for that. If you keep fighting here, people will come soon.”

“Did you contact me in advance?”

“No. By now, they’ll know we’re gone and be looking for us. And there are still people left.”

“How can you come here when you don’t even know where I am? Tell me straight away.”

Son Ye-ju, who had been silent, asked with anxious eyes.

She was anxious that the soldiers might storm in at any moment.

“How many cars are on the road at this time? Those who are good at tracking can easily find us just by looking at the tire marks that have been pushed through the dust. Much faster than you think. So don’t worry about where you’re going, and help us. You probably have people you left behind.”

The three looked at each other.

As Gaon said, there were more than a few people who caught his eye.

The reason I escaped in the first place was to ask for help from Seoul.

Son Ye-ju nodded.

“That’s right. We were originally planning to go to Seoul. There have been rumors going around about a large-scale safe zone in Seoul for some time now.”

“Then let’s fight together. If we survive, we’ll go to Seoul.”

“Ugh, we can’t fight like you.”

“Fighting isn’t just about killing your opponent with guns and swords. There are plenty of other ways to do it. Just do as I say and you’ll be fine.”

Son Ye-ju swallowed dry saliva.

If someone else had said that, it would have been ridiculous, but Gaon and Seonwoo were more than qualified to say that.

If that was the case, there was no other way.

A life that would have died anyway if it weren’t for them.

If we were to pay the price for saving their lives, we had to fight together.

Son Ye-ju, who had made up her mind, asked Hwang Si-won and Han Seung-woo.

“What would you like me to do?”

“Let’s do as they say. They saved our lives.”

Hwang Si-won, who was a head taller than Son Ye-ju, answered with a stern face.

Then Seungwoo Han nodded in agreement.

“I’ve never seen anyone fight like that before. If we stay together, we’ll learn something. We can’t just run away forever. It might actually be a good thing.”

The three people who had reached an agreement approached with determined faces.

Hwang Si-won said.

“You said Gaon, right? I’ll do whatever you say. What do you want me to do first?”

“first…….”

Gaon continued speaking, scanning the vast, ruined city center.

“Where is the nearest outpost? The first place I should leave when I hear the news.”

“There is an outpost to the south where those people are going.”

“How many armed soldiers are there?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s probably over thirty.”

“What about food?”

“Of course there will be.”

“good.”

Gaon, who was comparing the map with the surrounding terrain, pointed to a river in the distance.

“Let’s cross the river and take a detour. Then, when we see them depart, we can blow up the outpost.”

“You’re turning the outpost around? Why?”

“There’s nothing to eat. All we have is a can of food. It doesn’t look like you brought anything either.”

“And then what?”

“I’ll go and tell you. Let’s do it one at a time.”

After saying those words, the group came down to the ground and crossed the bridge straight away.

All I had to eat was the water in the canteens I took from the enemies.

I was so hungry that my stomach was about to explode, but I wasn’t hungry enough to finish the last bit of canned food.

After crossing the river, Gaon and Seonwoo carefully examined the terrain on the other side and drew a map.

Pages with parts drawn throughout.

By taking each piece off and fitting it together, it becomes one giant map.

Finance, Jang Liming, and Lee Taesung were the two people who had learned and practiced countless times on this subject.

As always, things don’t always go the way one wants them to.

Data compiled in this way will be of great help when unexpected variables arise.

Seonwoo, lowering his posture, looks around.

The riverbank is covered with all kinds of weeds and vines, so much so that it would not be an exaggeration to call it a small forest.

Thanks to this, the group was able to move safely while keeping an eye on the other side of the river.

Seonwoo asked Hwang Siwon, who was walking next to him.

They were both tall, so they kept their posture very low.

“Do you have family in the safe zone?”

“No. What about you?”

“None.”

“The same goes for us. We were originally destined to die, but thanks to the adults taking us in, we survived. Of course, many of us died in the process.”

Seonwoo nodded.

Because it was a story that anyone of the same generation could relate to.

“I guess so. I was too young back then. We’re the same. My case is a little different, but anyway, if it weren’t for the adults, I don’t know what would have happened. But, I heard from those people earlier that they were coming up from the south. Why is that? Isn’t it better to stay in one place?”

“There are many reasons.”

Han Seung-woo, who was following behind, suddenly intervened.

“For what reason?”

By this time, Gaon was also listening to their conversation.

It was an important conversation.

The decisive reason why people who were living safely in the provinces moved north.

“The first is the vaccine. About 7 years ago, some religious people came to the safe zone. They said that a vaccine was made in Seoul. The people there said that even if they were bitten by a zombie, they wouldn’t mutate.”

“Rumors travel fast.”

“But is that true?”

“That’s right. The vaccine has been completed by then. We’re currently running out of supplies to China, but we’ve been vaccinated anyway.”

“It was true… … .”

“Religious?”

Gaon, who had been listening silently, reacted sharply.

“Uh. I don’t know what religion he is, but he said he came down from Seoul.”

“Did those people by any chance have something on their faces?”

“That’s right. He was wearing a white cloth that looked like a mask.”

The more I heard about it, the more it seemed like an anonymous religion.

“Have you ever come back again since then?”

“No. As far as I know, there isn’t. But you never know. Adults don’t tell you everything.”

Gaon was lost in thought.

I thought they were just survivors who came up north.

It’s hard to say for sure who’s behind it, but if the cause is an anonymous cult, the situation could be more complicated than expected.

Isn’t that the nameless sect that plunged all of Seoul into war 10 years ago?

When Gaon didn’t answer, Seonwoo asked.

“What is the second reason?”

“It’s because of the zombies.”

“zombi?”

Han Seung-woo nodded.

“The reconnaissance results have confirmed that there are almost no zombies in the metropolitan area. But not in the south. The further down you go, the more zombies swarm like crazy. It’s too much to deal with them one by one.”

“Uh… That’s strange. Zombies attacking people?”

“You might be different because you got the vaccine, but we aren’t.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Seonwoo looked at Gaon with a bewildered face.

The zombies from the past that the two people remember have long since disappeared from the world.

All the surviving zombies went through the northern part of Gyeonggi Province and went up to Gangwon Province.

At least that’s what the two people knew.

Zombies who have separated themselves from humans and their realm.

It was a kind of non-aggression pact.

“… So we haven’t seen any zombies in a very long time. There’s no reason or need to fight each other anymore.”

“That’s ridiculous! Zombies can think?”

“Just think about it. I can understand everything you say.”

“How could that be… … .”

“Then what about the rest of the mutants? There must be mutant zombies, right?”

“Yes. There are some that crawl on all fours.”

Seonwoo tilted his head.

According to them, this means that at some point the zombies stopped mutating.

What is the reason?

While the zombies in the metropolitan area are becoming dehumanized, why did the zombies in the south stop there?

I couldn’t understand.

Hwang Si-won asked.

“But… you know, zombies can attack Seoul again at any time, right?”

“No. It’s not just zombies there.”

“Then what else is there?”

“The person who developed the vaccine is over there. Someone who follows him? A zombie? I don’t know, but there is one. It’s too long to talk about, so just know that.”

“It’s really amazing. Why do mutations occur differently… … .”

“It’s because of the resistance.”

The person who answered was Gaon.

“resistance?”

“I once heard this from my grandfather who developed the vaccine before I came to Seoul. He said that the stronger the resistance, the faster and more frequently the virus mutates. He said that this phenomenon occurs more frequently in environments where survival is difficult.”

“Is that so? If we hit like that, we’d kill a lot of zombies too.”

“We didn’t just kill them, we completely wiped them out. Ten years ago, when the safe zones were integrated, it was hard to see zombies in Seoul. Maybe it was because of that war.”

“war?”

“There is something like that. Anyway, I think it’s because of the resistance.”

“That sounds plausible.”

The three nodded.

After that, the group had many conversations.

Briefly, each person’s living environment and experiences.

For adults who were already old enough to be together, this might be out of the question, but for a group of people just finishing their teens, each other’s presence was simply welcome.

It was also rare for me to meet people my age.

While going down like that for a while.

When he saw a large gas station across the river, Han Seung-woo gestured beyond it.

“Over there. The rice mill across from the gas station. That’s the closest outpost.”

At those words, the group’s gaze simultaneously turned to the rice mill.

Numerous wheels parked on the road in front of the rice mill.

It was a motorcycle.

“Why the motorcycle… … .”

As Seonwoo muttered to himself, Son Yeju lowered her posture and answered.

“It’s an electric motorcycle. I don’t use it very often, only in emergency situations.”

“Where do I charge my batteries?”

As Seonwoo said, there was no place nearby to charge.

There was no generator to produce electricity.

“Carry a fully charged battery. A motorcycle is more maneuverable than a car.”

“ah…….”

Unlike Seoul, which received aid from China that even secured oil refining facilities, the southern region had long since run out of oil.

So, I had no choice but to use mainly electric cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

“That’s amazing.”

“I guess we’re leaving now.”

As soon as Son Ye-ju finished speaking, a large crowd of armed people mounted their motorcycles.

Infected people