Infected - Chapter 544



Only Noblemtl

Side story episode 31

In the yard of a house within the safe zone.

Three friends were sitting in front of a fire rising from a drum.

It was because the temperature was dropping every day.

However, the expressions of the three people sitting closely together were unusually dark.

The corners of Seungwoo’s eyes droop as he stares blankly at the flames.

A faint bloodstain on the fingernails.

No matter how many times I washed it, the stain just wouldn’t go away.

Seungwoo suddenly remembered the time when he escaped the safe zone.

Before their life-threatening escape, the three friends promised that whoever survived would live for their share, no matter who died.

However, he was discovered sooner than expected and was caught while running away.

I thought about what it would have been like if I hadn’t met Gaon back then.

If that had been the case, rather than living someone else’s life, all three would have become companions on their way to the afterlife.

But survival wasn’t always easy.

In order to survive, it was inevitable that blood would be on one’s hands.

At first, I thought I was ready to do anything.

No, I was mistaken.

If only I could get away from the governor, if only I could be free.

But the reality we faced was not like that.

Like the red stains on their fingernails, the memories of their struggle to survive would follow them for a long time.

“… This is not why I ran away.”

Seungwoo let out a sigh and lowered his head.

Then, Yeju and Siwon, who had been blankly staring at the flames, turned their gazes toward him.

“I feel like I’ll never forget what happened today… … .”

He was in despair.

Inevitable competition based on the principle of survival of the fittest.

These were events that could never be avoided if you were alive, and if you ever will be alive.

If you know it but can’t accept it, is that the growing pains of change or the process of falling apart?

Seungwoo couldn’t be sure.

Siwon, who had been watching silently, patted his shoulder.

“… It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

Despite being the same age, Siwon was the most mature of the three.

He was a man as tall as he was tall.

Besides, he never lost his composure, no matter how big or small the matter was.

“Ha, I don’t know… … .”

“Seungwoo.”

Seungwoo, who had lowered his head, looks at Siwon.

Her large, deer-like eyes were filled with tears.

“I was prepared for this. I also knew that the place outside the outer wall was something we could not imagine.”

“but…….”

“All the people you killed today were the ones who would kill you. If you had hesitated, Nana or Yeju would have died. You’re not fighting just for yourself right now, Seungwoo.”

“I just wanted to run away… … .”

“That’s right. We’re still running away from the people who are oppressing us. What happened today is just a part of that process. We don’t know how much more difficult things will be in the future. So let’s be strong-minded. Okay? If you fall, we’ll fall too.”

“Are you… okay?”

I hope this was of some comfort to you.

Seungwoo, who had been lost in thought, turned his attention to Siwon.

A faint smile spreads across Siwon’s lips.

“It can’t be okay. But there’s no way. It’s something I have to overcome anyway. I’m the same as you. The people I killed. The eyes that lost their light are still vivid. No matter how much I wash, the smell of blood won’t leave my nose. That’s why I can understand how you feel.”

“I feel… … .”

Seungwoo suddenly felt sorry.

If all three are in the same situation, the conditions of the other two friends won’t be much different.

I was ashamed of myself for being so caught up in my own emotions at a time when we should have been relying on each other.

“… I’m sorry. I was thinking too much about myself.”

“It’s okay. If you can’t stand it, just say it’s hard. It’s normal.”

“I want the war to end quickly so I can go to Seoul.”

“so do i.”

“When I see Gaon and Seonwoo, I think about that. What a great place Seoul must be. It’s amazing to see them fight so hard to protect their safety zone. They’re so different from us.”

“yes…….”

In fact, Siwon was thinking similarly.

Every time I see Gaon and Seonwoo, I realize how important the environment is.

If they had survived in Seoul from the beginning, would the three friends have ended up like the two people by now?

A strong mentality to overcome any adversity for the sake of the goal and a realistic ability to achieve the goal.

It was so far removed from themselves.

While two people are talking and comforting each other.

Yeju just listened to the story silently.

In fact, the person who was most shocked was Yeju.

She didn’t have the strength of Seungwoo and Siwon, and her personality itself was not at all suited to fighting.

Maybe that’s why.

While the two men fought off the enemies who had fallen, Yeju hid behind the truck and just trembled.

It was a situation I never even imagined.

A battlefield full of chaos where flesh is torn off and blood spurts out like a fountain.

As she watched Gaon roaming the bloody battlefield as if it were his own home, Yeju painfully realized how weak she was.

Moreover, today’s battle was different from the battles we had experienced before.

In the first battle near the outpost, Gaon placed his three friends in the rear.

It was meant to be watched at least once.

When I later entered the outpost, the situation was almost settled.

So, today I have personally experienced the horrors of war.

I still can’t forget it.

Gaon stabbing a dagger into a living person’s head and Seonwoo covered in blood.

And Seungwoo and Siwon, who were mixed up in it while half-crazy.

Covered in blood and swinging his weapon wildly, he looked more like a demon than a human.

Yeju was so far removed from the friends she knew.

Yeju, who had been lost in thought, clenched her hands tightly.

A broken fingernail pierces her delicate palm, drawing drops of blood.

I didn’t want to be weak.

That everything is a necessary process for survival.

I wanted to think that way.

At that moment, the blood that had been between my fingers began to drip to the floor.

Siwon grabbed her trembling hand.

“Hey, Yeju.”

“… … .”

He slowly opened Yeju’s hand, which he had been clenching tightly.

Then he wiped the blood on his palm with his sleeve.

“It’ll be okay. It’s all a process. Okay?”

“… I guess so?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow will be much better than today. The day after tomorrow will be even better.”

“I wish that were true.”

“It will definitely happen. Just don’t give up. You too, Seungwoo.”

Siwon consoled the two with a more serious expression than ever.

Why wouldn’t you be afraid when it’s cold?

Just thinking about the battle I just experienced made my hands tremble.

But I didn’t want to reveal it.

Because at least one of the three had to take center stage.

This was something that Gaon or Seonwoo couldn’t do.

We had to stand up and encourage each other in similar situations.

If you are going to live tomorrow and the day after.

* * *

That evening.

Gaon was walking alone outside the outer wall.

After a new enemy appeared.

It was routine to spread out scouts widely and to patrol the safe zone every morning and evening.

It was to anticipate and prepare for points where enemies might attack.

She turns her gaze away from the makeshift wooden fence obstacle she had been examining.

A long ridge running along the left side of the safe zone.

From the enemy’s point of view, it would be most advantageous to position themselves along the ridge, but they would not be able to attack easily.

Because it is a good location, it will be difficult to conquer.

So Gaon asked Sanha to build positions all over the ridge.

By building a fort on high ground, you can deal with multiple enemies with fewer numbers.

Now that the ridge is blocked, the enemies will attack from the ground.

The remaining three directions are possible.

The southern main gate, connected to the checkpoint, is surrounded by the city and is not easy to attack.

The North is the same.

In that case, the East should have been considered the most vulnerable.

A 10-lane road extending outside the eastern outer wall.

Although it was considered vulnerable, it had many advantages in defense thanks to its open view.

The problem was the buildings across the street.

If the enemy can take control of a tall building, it can be more effective than a ridge.

So Gaon deployed squad-level troops to each rooftop.

Choose a height that is good for squad interaction.

Although he planted quick-footed people around the governor’s safe zone, Gaon was not at ease.

To prepare for all possibilities, captured enemies had to be tortured to extract information.

Before tonight is over.

It was at that time that I was walking between buildings with such thoughts.

Gaon’s boots stopped.

The area ahead where the light emitted from the safe zone does not reach.

In that thick darkness, I sensed a presence.

“… … .”

As the hand slowly raised reached the dagger.

A dark shape suddenly appeared in the darkness.

An opponent running towards her at full speed as if he had been waiting for her.

Gaon quickly pulled out his dagger and rolled to the floor on the left.

The opponent, revealed in the dim light, was wearing a gray hood over his head.

A slim body, tall stature, and a posture in which the sword is held with the knees slightly lowered.

Gaon noticed that the man was quite skilled.

At that moment, the man who was in the standoff quickly swung his sword.

Whoosh!

Gaon, who avoided the attack by leaning back, kicked the man’s foot.

I was thinking of kicking the buttocks and breaking the center.

A pair of combat boots that hit the target with precision.

But men were no pushovers either.

As soon as my center of gravity collapsed, I rolled over and stood up.

Two people face off again.

Just after a brief gasp of breath dispersed into the air.

The two rushed toward each other like magnets.

If you stab me, I’ll kick you back, if you cut me, I’ll dodge, and if you raise your leg, I’ll block it with my knee.

Knock! Knock!

The alley was filled with the sound of hands and feet hitting each other and breathing.

At that time, we could hardly find any space between each other.

Gaon twisted the dagger he had stabbed with and struck his chin with the handle.

It was the first valid hit.

The man’s eyes widened in dizzying pain, then he quickly pushed Gaon in the stomach.

The two people who exchanged attacks moved away from each other.

The man stroked his frozen chin and lowered the tip of the sword.

Then he took a step back and muttered.

“… As I heard, it’s not ordinary.”

Gaon’s head tilts slightly.

Because I didn’t feel any will to fight from him at all.

“I just wanted to see how well you’re doing. I have other business to attend to.”

“Isn’t it polite to tell me who you are first?”

The man snorted.

“What is the courtesy between those who exchanged knives…?”

Then he glanced behind him and took a few more steps back.

The two people’s gazes naturally turned into the darkness.

‘Wasn’t there just one person… … .’

The moment you think like that.

Under the dim light, a middle-aged woman with a sharp expression appeared.

Impressive with neatly tied hair and distinct facial features that cast a shadow.

Gaon intuitively knew where she was from.

There is now no word from the troops monitoring the governor’s safe zone.

The only ones who could appear in the darkness were new enemies.

“hello.”

A woman’s greeting without any emotion.

There was a strange power in the voice that seemed clear yet low.

“You seem to know where I come from.”

“Just get to the point.”

Gaon put away his dagger and answered coldly.

“Stop here and turn back.”

“… … ?”

“This is not a suggestion, it is a warning. Stop interfering in the conflict in this region and return to Seoul.”

“That won’t do. We’ve come too far to turn back.”

“No. It’s not too late.”

“You intervened in the same way and now you’re just going back to me?”

The woman smiled gently.

It was a smile that didn’t match at all with the eyes that seemed to be walking on thin ice.

“Isn’t it you who called us, Miss?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We don’t show up without a reason. We only show up when someone calls us.”

“So when did I call you, ma’am?”

“…What a cheeky girl.”

The two people stared at each other for a long time in silence.

Infected people