Infected - Chapter 521



Only Noblemtl

Side story episode 8

Under a clear sky without a single blemish.

In front of the rice mill, five armed soldiers were scattered around, smoking cigarettes.

At that moment, a soldier walking down the road pricked up his ears.

A dull sound coming from somewhere.

It was the sound of something hitting something.

At first I thought I had misheard, but this was definitely not a sound that could come naturally.

The soldier frowned and walked away, pointing his gun.

Exactly! Exactly!

The closer I got, the louder the sound became.

Finally arrived at the riverside next to the gas station.

In that place, overgrown with vines, Son Ye-ju was crouching and tapping a rock with a small stone.

The soldier felt a strange sense of unease at the thought that he had found the escaped person.

There is no reason for her, who risked her life to escape, to be doing this for no reason.

For a moment, I thought something was strange.

Crunch!

I felt a cold sensation on my temple.

A low voice is heard following.

“Put the gun down.”

The soldier slowly put down his hands and raised them.

“Calm down, I’m just a guard here.”

As Seonwoo nodded, Son Yeju quickly picked up the soldier’s rifle.

“Do you know how to shoot?”

“Can’t you just press the trigger? Like this?”

“that’s right.”

“Please, don’t kill me.”

“That’s not for us to judge. Just turn around slowly and walk towards the rice mill.”

Those words gave the soldier a sense of hope that he might survive.

He didn’t take me anywhere, but told me to go to the rice mill where my colleagues were.

however…….

The rice mill I saw while crossing the road had changed hands in just a few seconds.

Aren’t there three people who jumped out of the dark rice mill and were aiming at their colleagues?

It was hard to believe that all this had happened in just a few dozen seconds.

If I had noticed it in advance, I would have at least sent a radio message.

The enemy took over the outpost without even giving us a chance.

“Everyone get down.”

Gaon, who approached with a rifle, kicked the soldiers’ shins and knocked them down.

Then, he took away all of my personal belongings, including my radio and dagger, and spread them out on the floor.

Now it was Seonwoo’s turn.

There was nothing that was not there in the rice mill used as an outpost.

There were ropes, handcuffs, and a bunch of tools of unknown purpose piled up.

“Okay, gentlemen. If you do as I say, I won’t kill you. So just be quiet. I’ll tie a knot that you can never untie.”

After a while.

The group cornered the soldiers and ate canned food from boxes to fill their hungry stomachs.

Gaon checked his wristwatch throughout the meal.

By now we had arrived at the starting point and were in the midst of a search.

She put down the half-empty can and spoke to the group.

“Put everything in your bag, including the canned food, water jugs, and even magazines.”

“Where are we going now?”

“I have to go back. I got what I needed.”

“okay.”

As Han Seung-woo stood up, the rest followed as promised.

There was no reason for them not to trust Gaon.

Although it wasn’t for long, everything was going just as she said.

Gaon carried a large sports bag to the side.

Then he approached the soldiers who were huddled in the corner.

Crunch!

The muzzle of the black rifle glares at them as if it will suck them in.

A single shot from the safety of the adjustment unit.

“There was no ill intention. You just messed with us first.”

The soldiers who saw those cold eyes found their lower body loosening its strength without realizing it.

A calm voice and eyes that are completely unwavering before the murder.

Like walking down the street and stepping on a bug without thinking and killing it.

There was no emotion in Gaon’s eyes.

As the strength gradually builds in the finger on the trigger.

“Now, just a moment!”

“… … ?”

“Don’t kill me. I’ll do anything you tell me. I, no, everyone here has kids. Do you know what I mean?”

Gaon stared intently into the soldiers’ faces.

Most of them are probably in their early to mid 20s at most.

Given that they have children at that age, it seems like they too are inevitably sacrificing themselves for the safety zone.

but…….

“Is it okay to catch and kill kids who run away?”

“Oh, there’s nothing we can do! If we don’t do as we’re told, we’ll end up in the same situation.”

“It’s worse if you keep your mouth shut even though you know. That’s reason enough to kill you.”

“please!”

When they could not communicate with Gaon, the soldiers turned their gaze to the group and pleaded.

Even Seonwoo, who knew Gaon well, seemed quite nervous this time.

I learned from my elders that I should not kill my enemies indiscriminately.

If that happens, I will do my best to fight every enemy I encounter.

It was necessary to apply pressure, but at least provide a minimal means of survival.

Of course, that could vary depending on the situation and the person involved.

But at least to Seonwoo, the current situation felt closer to unnecessary killing.

But Seonwoo didn’t stop Gaon.

The Gaon he knows is that once he makes up his mind, he does it on the spot.

That means the timing is off.

There is probably a reason for that.

Son Ye-ju urges Seon-woo with a bewildered face.

“Say something! I’m really going to shoot you if you keep doing that.”

“Gaon-ah. We haven’t known each other for long, but this doesn’t seem right. There’s no need to kill these people. They’re begging to be spared like that.”

“Yeah. Siwon is right.”

The rest of the group chimed in.

I wonder if it works.

Gaon, who had been aiming the gun in a floating posture, slowly lowered the rifle.

“Put your backs together and lend a hand to each other. You’ll be able to solve it in no time.”

Then he turned around without any regrets.

Only then did the group that had been watching breathe a sigh of relief.

* * *

On the way back to the city center.

Son Ye-ju, who was walking along the vines by the river, approached Ga-on.

“Hey, Gaon.”

“why?”

“Thank you for listening to us earlier.”

Gaon snorted.

“It’s not because of you.”

“then?”

“I never intended to kill you in the first place.”

“What? But why is that?”

“Just to check.”

“what?”

A question mark appeared in Son Ye-ju’s eyes.

“I wondered how the group you escaped from was organized. They say you can tell ten by looking at one. When I saw you begging for your life with one heart to someone much younger than you, I could tell for sure. You had no sense of belonging at all.”

“ah……”

“From now on, I will have to fight the enemy face to face, so I should at least know what kind of people they are. That way, I can move accordingly. Crucially, there was no justification. All I have experienced is fighting people who tried to kill you. If they take one more step, there will be no reason to hesitate from then on.”

Son Ye-ju let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

“Wow. How could you think of something like that… … .”

“So you guys are different from the people in Seoul? Is there a close bond or something?”

Han Seung-woo asked, standing shoulder to shoulder.

“Well… It depends on the person, but I don’t think they would act so meanly. We didn’t fight zombies alone for the peace we have now.”

That’s right.

As Gaon said, the survivors who settled in Gangbuk have already experienced similar things several times.

Ten years ago, it was the nameless church, seven years ago, it was the soldiers who came from Chungcheongbuk-do, and five years ago, it was in the vast land of China.

During the war where life and death were at stake, survivors proved themselves countless times.

A strong bond was formed where they could always trust and rely on each other.

Each and every one of the members, who at first glance appear ordinary, are in fact excellent fighters and good neighbors.

Seoul has held out like that until now.

When those who survived on the Korean Peninsula fought only for themselves.

They fought countless enemies, risking the fate of this land.

So, they were people who would rather die than beg for their lives from the enemy.

What if they hadn’t joined forces to drive out the 7th Fleet and hold the Chinese government hostage?

Perhaps the Korean Peninsula could have become a battlefield for neighboring countries.

Eventually, the survivors would have had to face either American or Chinese forces.

That’s not war.

Just a general massacre.

The survivors on the Korean Peninsula who had no ties to them would have simply died miserably like bugs trampled on on the street.

Gaon and Seonwoo’s generation had great pride in their history.

Of course, I was educated that way.

Even these two people who only learned without experiencing it firsthand have such strong pride.

How would it be for those who experienced those times firsthand?

“You didn’t just fight zombies?”

“It’s too long to talk about now. If you come to Seoul and stay with us there, you will naturally learn that no one should fight with us. Instead, we should respect and be grateful.”

The three friends who heard Gaon’s words looked at each other with faces that seemed to say they didn’t understand English.

Some time after that.

The group, who had been walking diligently, returned to the building where they had first met.

As soon as Gaon arrived, he looked around and divided up the roles.

Two buildings facing each other across the road.

Seonwoo and Han Seungwoo took charge of the building on the left, and Hwang Siwon and Son Yejoo took charge of the building on the right.

While the four people were busy moving around, Gaon searched the inside of the building and figured out the structure.

At the latest, before sunset, the enemies who had gone to the rice mill would attack again.

Gaon climbs up to the rooftop, puts his hand on the fence, and looks down.

The battle is about to begin.

The number of enemies didn’t matter.

What mattered was how effectively they could destroy the enemy.

Look at the roads around the building to predict enemy movement paths.

The most important thing in modern urban warfare is to make the most of the complex city center.

In other words, it was a guerrilla war.

To Gaon’s eyes, the two buildings facing each other along the main road looked like a ridge surrounding the valley.

From the first gunshot, the enemy’s positions for cover and the time it takes to enter the building unfold like a drama.

The key to this battle is to lure the enemies indoors.

To do this, you had to kill as many enemies as possible without revealing your location.

The first was to instill fear that if you continue to stand on the road, you might be wiped out.

Gaon was confident.

The enemy will be off guard and will rely on numbers rather than complex tactics.

Even if we call the party a group of soldiers, it was only three fugitives and a young man and woman.

Her gaze, lost in thought, turns to the north.

By now, someone must be coming down south looking for the two.

‘Okay. Until then.’

With that thought in mind, I stepped onto the ground.

* * *

In the building across from them, Seonwoo and Seungwoo Han were moving around frantically.

As Seonwoo, holding a tool, stood in front of the wide open window, Seungwoo Han followed behind and tore the curtains.

There is no need for elaborate installation.

There was no time for that.

I had to just hammer nails into the wall.

Han Seung-woo, who was going downstairs, asked Seon-woo.

“Why are you doing this?”

“We have to fight the majority with the minority. If we open all the windows and close the curtains like we do now, it will be hard to find where the attack is coming from. Think about it. If you look up from the road and all the windows are open and curtains are drawn everywhere, what would it be like? People would keep dying.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

“But you guys don’t care?”

“what?”

Han Seung-woo asked, holding the curtain in place.

“Anyway, they were with you. And for a long time.”

“If I was going to argue about that, I wouldn’t have risked my life to come out.”

“It’s strange.”

“Soldiers and we have different ranks. We don’t have anything to talk about. And everything there is really systematic. If I put it nicely, it’s a solid operating system, but if I put it badly, everyone has to live like a machine for the ruling class. What’s the point of living like that? I think I’d rather wander outside and die than live like that. Siwon and Yeju are the same.”

“…You guys are really amazing too.”

“But why is Gaon so brazen? Of course I admit that he’s great. I’ve never seen anyone like him before. But, what should I say, apart from that, he’s so fearless. It feels like he’s just trying to bump into things no matter what?”

Seonwoo, who had been handed the nail, answered while striking the hammer.

“Gaon wants to prove it.”

“what?”

“Self-existence.”

“I don’t really know what you’re talking about… … .”

“It’s been that way since long ago. I’ve always lived with a sense of debt in my heart. There were more than one or two people who suffered to save me. Since I was little, I’ve always said that I wanted to repay them, that I wanted to grow up quickly and protect people. That’s why I worked even harder, like crazy. Whether it was training or studying. What happens when a person learns something? They want to use it in some way.”

“yes?”

Han Seung-woo nodded his head as he looked at Ga-on standing on the road outside the window.

“Well, anyway, it’s a complex mix of things.”

“So you’re not scared?”

Seonwoo, who was about to strike the hammer, hesitated.

“Not at all. I trust Gaon.”

“She’s a woman with a story… … She’s so cool.”

Han Seung-woo felt a strange sense of admiration as he watched Ga-on walking away holding a rifle.

“Is there anyone in this world who doesn’t have a story?”

“That’s true, but she’s a bit special. Everything about her.”

“Arthur. There’s nothing good about being a woman.”

“why?”

“You’ll know when you experience it.”

And then it was Seonwoo who walked downstairs.

Infected people