Infected - Chapter 55



Only Noblemtl

Episode 54

The next morning.

The manager came early in the morning to pick up the finances.

The face of that untrustworthy manager could not have been more welcoming to Finance.

The two headed straight to the command barracks located within the unit.

As we turned the tent over and went inside, we saw several soldiers in combat uniforms.

They were all of a fairly good age, and as they were in the command barracks, their ranks were also relatively high.

Since the lieutenant is the last in command, I expected that the second lieutenants and other commanders below him would live in the barracks with the soldiers.

But the division commander that Private Kim had mentioned was nowhere to be seen.

A division commander must be at least a major general, but the highest rank here was lieutenant colonel.

“Wow, someone great has arrived.”

A soldier with the rank of major stood with his back straight and his shoulders raised.

It was an attitude that was unpleasant even at first glance.

But I didn’t care about finances.

They continued their conversation with finances in front of them.

“who is this?”

The lieutenant colonel asked.

“Yes. I am one of the six survivors I mentioned earlier. I heard that he went from the hospital to the broadcasting station and then came back to Yeouido. He also took a boat.”

“Oh, that cop?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The major answered politely.

Then the lieutenant colonel invited Jaejae to sit down on the chair.

“You came at a good time. I was already bored. Sit down, sit down. Let me tell you a story. How did you get here?”

An arrogant attitude, as if one were scolding a child.

Finance felt uncomfortable, like he had been made a plaything, but he had no choice but to sit down on the chair.

I couldn’t understand why everyone was so interested in the group’s survival story.

“What are you doing? You said you wanted to hear the story.”

The major looked around and grumbled.

“What is the story?”

“Tell me about how you came to Yeouido. And since you are a member of the Republic of Korea Army from now on, let’s change the subject. You must have served in the military, right?”

“Well, I am a former Navy officer.”

Jae-jae answered with a shaky face.

As the atmosphere grew heavy with those words, the major stepped forward once again.

“No matter what unit you’re from, your current affiliation is important. There’s someone here who’s in the same affiliation as you. He was even in the Navy until recently. But not anymore. All the military units have been reorganized into the Army. So you have to follow that law.”

“…All right.”

There was no choice.

For now, we have no choice but to do as they want.

They are the owners of this place, and there’s no benefit to be gained by going against their wishes.

Even for the sake of the people who came together.

“Yeah, you made it all the way to the broadcasting station, right? We heard that the rescue helicopter crashed. What happened? We thought those guys had deserted or something. It’s not strange at all in this world for people to run away.”

“It was an accident.”

The unfocused gaze of finances was directed somewhere.

Whenever I was lost in thought, that moment inevitably came to mind.

It was a truly horrible memory.

Helicopters swaying and spewing smoke, infected crashing down from all directions, and… … .

Even himself, who is aiming the rifle.

Bang! Bang!

The bullets accurately pierced the pilot and copilot.

The cockpit was a mess, with blood splattering everywhere.

The helicopter exploded, carrying them, clutching their chests and spitting out blood.

“I see. In a situation where resources and supplies are already lacking, you’re going to die while trying to rescue a few people. Tsk tsk.”

“That’s what I mean.”

The lieutenant chimed in from the side.

Ugh.

Finance gritted its teeth and endured it.

Then, on the way to the broadcasting station, the faces of the two dead people came to mind.

Kim Chae-min and PD Choi.

Finance still has their faces vivid in their eyes, but there are only a few of them.

If I could, I would smash this table with my hands and then crack their heads open.

He knew.

Why are they doing this to finance?

He was trying to dampen their spirits by hearing that the tale of their bravery was spreading like wildfire.

Originally, when you have vested rights, everything becomes inconvenient.

In front of them, you couldn’t stand out, but you couldn’t be too lacking either.

Everything had to be appropriate and proper.

Sometimes it’s moderately excellent and sometimes it’s moderately lacking.

This time the lieutenant asked.

“I heard you’re the police. Is that right?”

A man who looked younger than Jae-jae at first glance spoke informally to me.

Yeah, this is the military.

Sigh, re-enlisting at this age.

Finance said, barely holding back his distorted facial muscles.

“yes.”

“You’re a big guy. How much exercise does it take to become like that? Shouldn’t our kids have bodies like that? I think I can defeat dozens of zombies by myself.”

The major, the lieutenant, and the rest of the soldiers all nodded in agreement with the lieutenant colonel’s words.

Jae-jae, who had been just listening, asked a question first this time.

“What am I going to do here from now on?”

“You should go to your platoon and ask about that.”

“Hey, Lieutenant Park, you’re doing great. Let’s listen to the briefing after a long time. That guy is really good at it.”

“That’s right. Lieutenant Park is the best at briefing.”

The lieutenant suddenly stood up from his seat at the conversation between the two mugunghwa.

“Okay, then let’s get started right away.”

The lieutenant who had gone forward stood in front of a map of Yeouido attached to a large board.

Then he pointed to the safe zone with his baton.

Even though Jae-jae was a reserve soldier, his current position was like that of a trainee who had not yet been assigned to a unit.

It’s like a lieutenant standing there and briefing a trainee like that.

It was a situation that showed how rudimentary the military was being run.

But the lieutenant didn’t seem to think about that at all, and did his best, even clearing his throat.

“I’ll explain this once, listen carefully. Since the incident, our military has successfully defended the safe zone for a week, although it is smaller than originally planned. The first objective, stabilization of the safe zone, is progressing successfully, so the future schedule is as follows. Starting at 08:00 on the 17th, two days later, we plan to advance to Yeouido Hangang Park, which is outside the northern outer wall of the safe zone. While the military moves and settles in, workers will use heavy equipment to remove the northern wall and begin expanding the area. The military’s current goal is to have Yeouido Hangang Park within the safe zone by 18:00 on the same day. Any questions?”

“Is there any special reason for expanding the territory?”

Since permission had already been given from above, I decided to ask about finances with peace of mind.

“The ultimate goal is to make the entire Yeouido a safe zone. Then, supplies will be more abundant, and it will be easier to obtain goods from far away using boats.”

“What do you do after that?”

“Too many from the beginning… … .”

“It’s a counterattack.”

The lieutenant, who was trying to pressure the finances, was interrupted again.

This time it was a lieutenant colonel.

He continued speaking, his arms folded and his eyes intently focused on the map.

“I’m going to fight back. I can’t just stay here in this cramped Yeouido and die, right? There are countless rotting military units and weapons. We have to fight back, whether we land or just occupy the military units from the front line. The reason I’m telling you this is because I have high expectations for you. Not only is your unit from here great, but your bravery in surviving up until now is also unbelievable. Can I expect more from you in the future?”

“When a situation arises, you just make the best choice you can.”

“How humble, huh. Yeah, that’s enough of a challenge. Oh, and by the way.”

The lieutenant colonel paused for a moment.

“How is Youngman, hyung? Is that old man still in good health?”

“Do you know the man?”

“I know. Is there anyone in my generation who doesn’t know Kang Yeong-man? Not only me, but all the generals know him. Isn’t he a living legend? Of course, he’s just a piece of trash now.”

Finance kept its mouth shut.

It seemed like he was praising Yeong-man, but strangely he was insulting him.

Well, if they really wanted to give Yeong-man special treatment, they wouldn’t have put him in the place where the outer wall was being repaired.

Finance was keenly aware of how military discipline could be disrupted without the eyes and ears to keep an eye on it.

This was not the military atmosphere that Jae-jae knew.

It felt like a gathering of older people who were somewhat powerful in the neighborhood.

It’s like there are young guys struggling to walk the tightrope.

At that moment, someone entered the barracks.

“I apologize for interrupting you. Your orders are to bring the new survivors to the tower immediately.”

“What? Who?”

The major asked with a frown.

But the young soldier with the rank of captain said without paying any attention.

Rather, he answered more confidently.

Even while wearing sunglasses.

“I don’t know. I’ll just take him.”

“Hey, you little punk. Aren’t you even going to salute?”

“Don’t be a brat, brat. My name is engraved on your chest in three letters.”

“What a crazy kid!”

Finance stared at the captain.

Are you crazy?

The captain is talking shit to the major.

And that’s beyond ridiculous, right?

It was the same as asking to be killed.

Moreover, he did not show any intimidation at all, but rather straightened his neck.

Is there any corner of faith?

But it was strange.

I felt a familiar face somewhere.

That tone of voice, that tone of speech, even the way he stands.

Finance looked at him closely.

A dark burn was visible behind his left ear.

Yeah, that’s right.

That can’t be true.

A memory flashed through Jae-jae’s mind.

It was a very old memory.

A bomb discovered in the engine room just before rescuing hostages from a hijacked ship.

And the cries of my colleagues, close to screams.

The ship exploded with the hostages on board.

The unit lost a member, and the treasury lost a comrade.

I remembered that time when we had to hold a funeral by putting the military ID tag in the coffin because we couldn’t even find the body.

Why do I suddenly think of him?

“stop!”

The two stopped talking at the lieutenant colonel’s request.

“You guys, are you ignoring me right now? Huh?”

“Oh, no.”

The major bowed his head deeply, but the captain said nothing.

I just stood there blankly looking at the finances.

The lieutenant colonel was speaking, but the captain’s gaze was focused on the finances.

“But why are you raising your voice and making such a fuss? Hey, Jeong I-jin. What the hell are you? Even though you were a member of the Navy, you’ve now been reassigned to the Army. Are you right or not?”

“you’re right.”

The captain nodded, maintaining his attention.

But he had a relaxed expression the whole time.

But Jae-yi’s face looking at him was not relaxed.

His face was as surprised as if he had seen a ghost.

“But why do you keep doing stupid things? I heard you were famous for being a punk in the Navy. Hey, the world has become like this, so we need to work together more. How long are you going to keep wandering around?”

“I will be careful.”

“Oh, that’s enough. Take the survivors out. I don’t want to see their faces.”

“Take care, Loyalty.”

“Loyalty is a piece of shit… … .”

The captain left the barracks with his finances.

As soon as he came out, he lit a cigarette.

Then he threw a cigarette and a lighter at Finance.

Finance, who received cigarettes and a lighter, did not smoke.

He just stood there still and looked at the captain.

Then the captain, who had been smoking a cigarette while looking at the distant mountains, glanced up and said.

“Oh, you’re not going to take it? Then give it back to me.”

“you…….”

“What? Then I’ll cry.”

“You, you punk! Jeong Ijin!”

Jae-jae, who had been walking briskly, grabbed Captain Jeong-jin Jeong by the nape of his neck.

A heavily built soldier swayed from side to side, his cigarette falling to the floor.

“Oh my! Cigarettes, cigarettes! How did the power get so much stronger?”

“What happened? What happened? We even held your funeral!”

Jae-jae’s eyes became bloodshot.

This was ridiculous.

Jeong I-jin is clearly dead.

I held a funeral and attended family reunions for several years afterwards.

But you’re still alive and kicking like this?

“Yes, the funeral went well. Thanks to that, I am living a good second life.”

“This kid, for real! Isn’t he going to speak properly?”

Finances were bending over backwards and wouldn’t let go.

“Okay, okay! Brother, you’re still able to subdue people with your own strength? Oh man, I thought I was going to die.”

“Speak quickly.”

“Try it.”

Jeong Ijin smoked the last of his cigarettes before he finally got a cigarette.

“At that time, I thought I was dead. When I opened my eyes, I was alive. I couldn’t speak the language because it was a foreign country, but I received treatment at an old people’s home and recovered. But because of that crazy infectious disease, I couldn’t come to Korea for several years. How did I get there? The plane itself wasn’t taking off. I can’t ride a ship again because of the trauma.”

“Then you should have at least contacted your family!”

“There was a reason for that.”

Jae-jae silently hugged Jeong-i-jin tightly.

Tears were gathered in her still closed eyes.

The events and emotions of that time came rushing back like a flood.

“Anyway… I’m really glad you’re alive.”

“Oh, hyung, what’s wrong? Are you old? You’re doing things you’ve never done before.”

A smile appeared on Jeong Jin’s face as he was nagging her.

Infected people