Infected - Chapter 56



Only Noblemtl

Episode 55

“What do you mean the Navy was reorganized into the Army?”

The two were walking around the tower, having a lively conversation.

“Where is the Navy? They say the Army, but it’s just merged into one. There are hardly any left. And the Army is the one that takes the key government personnel. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Then what about the ones living in the waters off Incheon?”

“It’s the Navy. It’s the Navy in name only.”

Jeong Ijin roughly threw away the cigarette he was smoking.

Finance recalled what the doctor had said.

“Do you know anything about this guy called Doctor?”

“So-so. Why?”

“What kind of person are you?”

“Just… a person. A person who would do anything to survive for the sake of his young son. But why the doctor?”

“He told me something strange. He said that the troops stationed in the West Sea have two choices.”

“Oh, that.”

Jeong Ijin smiled faintly.

“What is it?”

“I think the Chinese are just trying to trap us. That’s why we’re reaching out to the forces at sea. Bring the equipment and the warships. That’s what I’m talking about. The other option is for our government to continue to ask for asylum abroad, and when that’s accepted, help us escape. That’s all.”

“Is this all Korea has come to? How can there not be a single place that accepts asylum seekers?”

“It doesn’t have much to do with international relations. Look at the state of the country. It didn’t even take a few days for Japan to collapse. With a virus this shocking, it’s only a matter of time before humanity is destroyed. Of course, it would be better to blockade this place. What do you gain by accepting asylum from a government that’s already finished? It’s not like you have any money.”

That was right.

There was no reason for the Korean government to accept asylum, as it had neither the ability to repay its overdue national debt nor the money to do so.

Politics and diplomacy aren’t about emotions.

Finance muttered.

“This is the worst.”

“It’s the worst. But the military leaders are doing this kind of crap, so how can I not get angry? Since all the generals are missing, they’re just playing generals among themselves.”

Jeong Ijin said, gritting his teeth.

“It’s okay, we survived anyway. We’re alive anyway.”

“If you can’t live properly, it’s better to die. Do you chase honor or money? I don’t want to live in such a pitiful way. My family members are all dead.”

The atmosphere became solemn in an instant.

Jaejae knew Jeong Jin’s family well.

He had parents and an older sister.

The grateful people who asked about Jae-yi’s well-being even before Jeong-i Jin’s death.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about your family.”

“No, it’s not just me who lost. Oh, shit. I should have just turned around then.”

The finances were beyond reproach.

For Jeong I-jin, death was like a double-edged sword.

You can’t see your family when you’re dead, but you have to see them die while you’re alive.

I didn’t want it either way, but if I had died then, I wouldn’t have been in this much pain.

Finance felt like I was seeing a ghost.

A successor who was thought to be dead.

He was foul-mouthed and had a clear sense of right and wrong, so he couldn’t help but speak the truth.

And yet, he successfully completed the special course, which was known to be difficult.

In a small room, he was capable of fighting multiple opponents with his bare hands, and his dagger skills were unparalleled.

Jeong Ijin was that kind of person.

Finance suddenly felt as if he had gone back in time.

A long-forgotten, yet unforgettable nostalgia for my military days.

Unlike himself who had changed, he felt an inexplicable emotion as he looked at Jeong I-jin, who was still the same as before, as if he had gone back in time.

After Jeong I-jin’s death, Jae-jae was discharged from the military.

I couldn’t do anything in the military anymore.

Because guilt and sadness followed me like a shadow.

He was a successor who was particularly good at finance.

While he was very patient with his other seniors, he was especially different with Finance.

The reason was simple.

Because finance has never missed first place.

He didn’t even groan, and when necessary, he even shouldered his colleagues’ share.

He was incredibly agile and had quicker judgment than anyone else.

That was the Han Jae-jeong that Jeong I-jin knew.

So I had no choice but to admire and follow him.

A person who is like a mountain that you can never overcome no matter how hard you try.

I thought I was the most poisonous person in the world, and I was sure that there was no one more evil than me in life.

There was a worse one.

Although it was only a finance of the past, at least to Jeong I-jin, finance was still that kind of person.

“I’m sorry, bro. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, so you’re talking nonsense.”

“Okay, kid. I told you not to do that.”

“Oh, that’s right. But you were with a guy named Kang Young-man? Is that true?”

“Uh, why?”

Jeong Ijin stood still and let out an exclamation of admiration.

“You couldn’t possibly know, hyung. I learned it in training when I returned and served as an intelligence officer. He was the first Korean to serve as a team leader in an overseas private mercenary company. He was said to have made an appointment with the generals every time he entered the country. Didn’t you know?”

“No, well… I heard he was a soldier, but I didn’t know it was to that extent.”

Finance responded with a bewildered look on his face.

“But he’s a bit like me. Whether he’s a general or someone else, whenever we meet, he just starts talking about the absurdities of the Korean military. He was the number one target of avoidance, because he would gossip about everything from the defense industry system to the water canteens given to soldiers. But to young officers and cadets, he’s like a textbook. It’s good to be with someone like that.”

“He’s just the guy next door, a bit odd.”

“The uncle next door. That’s a story that’ll make you foam at the mouth. It’s a legend that he single-handedly rescued isolated American soldiers. He also received countless medals… Oh, you really don’t know.”

Jeong Ijin said with a very excited face.

The finances were absurd, yet funny at the same time.

Who knew Youngman was such a great person?

It was surprising that such a person left his choices to me at important moments and respected my opinions.

No matter how much time has passed, the mercenary’s courage has not rusted.

He was a person who could have overcome countless crises on his own.

“What would you do if you received the 100th day medal? Right now, you’re probably homeless and living in a border area or something.”

“There will be some talk soon. When he joins the army, all the old men over there will have to salute. But will they do that? They don’t want to create an awkward situation in the first place, do they?”

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know what’s important in this situation, like the military or rank.”

Finance shook his head and said.

“But there has to be a system in place. To do that, someone has to take command. The problem is that the baton is being held by idiots. I don’t know what to do or how to do it.”

“By the way, what about the President?”

Jeong Ijin shook his head.

“For now, he’s missing, but what we’re hoping for is that he’s still alive and well, somewhere. There are so many survivors sending out signals of survival.”

“Survival signal? Can you communicate?”

“Phone calls don’t work, but we can access the internet via Wi-Fi. That’s how we can roughly estimate the number of survivors. SNS is still alive. But the problem is that the number is rapidly decreasing with each passing day.”

Jeong Ijin said with a sigh.

Finances dug through his pockets.

I couldn’t even remember when I lost my smartphone.

The survivors were communicating with each other through social media.

Finance said.

“If the president were alive, things would be different.”

“That’s right. Wouldn’t it be possible for him to be granted asylum if he were only Prime Minister, not President? I don’t want to say this, but in reality, we should consider him as not alive. Of the thousands of signs of life, there wasn’t a single one related to the President. Is there anyone who doesn’t know the President’s face? Right?”

That was right.

If the President or Prime Minister were alive, they would have sent a signal of survival by any means necessary.

If you are a civilian with a key government official, you can enter the safe zone with that condition on your back.

Finance shook his head.

I didn’t want to think deeply about it.

No matter what the safety zone was or what the government was like, he had neither the will nor the power to get involved, and he was just an ordinary citizen.

Someone will figure it out.

Someone is bound to step up.

The goal was to get to the safe zone, and now that we’ve achieved that goal, we can live here.

“Oh, what kind of operation are you going on in two days?”

“Ah. I think it will continue steadily until we secure all of Yeouido. We will push for exile as an exile, and also carry out operations that we can carry out on our own.”

“But before I crossed the river, I heard that they had taken everything that could be used for fuel, from boats to cars.”

Jae-jae said, recalling the words of Gong-du he had met at the dock.

They even scraped all the oil off the boat.

“That’s right.”

“But it doesn’t seem like there’s any particular need to use gas. Why is that? There’s a gas station in Yeouido, too.”

“Preparing for winter. Winter is coming soon.”

Jeong Ijin continued speaking while looking at the rising sun.

“Summer is almost over. If things continue like this, it will soon be fall and cold. I don’t know what will happen, but we have to prepare for the worst. If we can’t leave this land, then we will have to fight resources, not zombies.”

“I guess so.”

Finance nodded as if it agreed.

As Jeong I-jin said, if his asylum was thwarted and he was trapped on the Korean Peninsula, he would have to survive on his own.

Whether the military planned to conduct a landing operation or something else, they couldn’t do anything without oil.

The first thing to do would be to use the entire Yeouido as a safe zone.

Then, we will be able to survive to some extent with the oil and resources within Yeouido.

After walking around the tower twice while chatting about this and that, Jeong Ijin, who had put out his cigarette with his foot, looked up at the building and said.

“You didn’t tell me the most important thing.”

“Ah, Tower. Yeah, who is it? Someone who wants to see me.”

“A politician. The one my brother hates so much. Anyway, we have no veto. As you know, here, the Tower’s orders are law.”

Jae-jae looked at Jeong-jin.

Although Jeong I-jin is a person who does not compromise with injustice and has to discern right from wrong even in small matters, he was ultimately a soldier.

A soldier begins with orders and ends with orders.

In that command was contained all responsibility, and the word of the decision maker was law.

“Why does a politician want to see me?”

“Meet him in person. I don’t know that much. Let me tell you one thing: he was the one who suggested creating this safe zone, and he was the one who actually created it. Tens of thousands of people in here right now are alive thanks to one person’s decision.”

“It’s rare to see you compliment someone, but I’ve heard it twice today.”

“Twice? Why twice?”

“I was talking about Mr. Youngman earlier.”

“Oh, right? But this isn’t a compliment. I’m just saying that. Regardless of my personal feelings, a good thing is a good thing.”

As Jeong Jin-i entered the tower, the soldiers standing guard saluted.

Jin lightly saluted and guided Jaejae inside.

The inside of the tower was so clean that it was hard to believe that an infection had occurred there.

The marble and pillars were transparent without a single trace of blood, and the air was clean without the smell of blood.

I felt like I was in another world.

Finance took the elevator as instructed.

The panoramic view of Seoul was visible through the transparent glass of the elevator.

Black smoke was rising everywhere, and buildings were already burning down in several places.

It could have been a merger, or it could have been because of the infected.

The cars that filled the road became smaller and smaller as the elevator went up.

I felt like I was slowly becoming more and more distant from reality.

Ding!

The elevator stopped and the doors opened.

Two soldiers were waiting for the two men on either side.

They conducted a brief body search and then led me down a long hallway to a small office.

Knock knock!

“Come in.”

At the soldier’s knock, a young, powerful voice was heard from beyond the door.

Infected people