Infected - Chapter 58



Only Noblemtl

Episode 57

“Bob, come in!”

The people who were repairing the outer wall all turned around at the sound of the loud voice.

A large door in the fence opened and a truck appeared.

People were anxious as they heard the sound of the trucks roaring by and the infected swarming the outer walls.

Boom! Boom!

The exterior walls, built by attaching logs to concrete, resonated like drums.

The height of the outer wall is approximately 10 meters.

It was raised high to counter the characteristic of infected people who step on each other’s bodies and burn.

Beyond the outer wall, in the outside world, a huge number of infected people were gathered.

Some of them, located close to the outer wall, heard the sound of the truck and knocked on the wall at every mealtime.

A majestic sound like the beating of a drum was followed by an eerie sound, as if human hands and feet were climbing the outer walls, heard from various places.

The men who had turned to the truck looked up at the outer wall anxiously, and the soldiers around the fence also nervously fiddled with the controls of their rifles.

Are you done?

When people looked around with nervous faces, some didn’t even bother to look at them as if they were used to it.

Among them, a man wearing a yellow helmet and drenched in sweat stood out.

He was a foreman.

“Anyway, when it’s mealtime, those guys start making a fuss too, phew!”

The spitting foreman approached the truck.

There were armed soldiers lined up all around.

A few hungry men ran to the truck but were stopped by a gun barrel.

“Hey, hey, hey! Wait! These kids don’t understand even if I repeat the same thing over and over again.”

At the shout of the foreman, the soldiers lowered their guns and those who were rushing forward retreated.

While other soldiers were unloading food from the cargo hold, two men stepped forward.

It was a doctor in a white gown and a production area manager.

Although they were familiar faces that they encountered at every meal, the foreman greeted them warmly as if it had been a long time since he had seen them.

The foreman’s bright smile revealed his yellow teeth.

“Oh my, you’ve worked hard.”

“Yes, class president. Is everything okay?”

The foreman smiled brightly again at the doctor’s words.

“Okay, what’s the big deal? What about meat soup today? It smells exactly like meat soup.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sorry that the food is always insufficient. I’m trying to reduce the soldiers’ food intake, but it’s not easy.”

“Hey, that won’t work. Should we reduce the food intake of the soldiers guarding this safe zone? I believe that good days will come soon.”

I tried to be playful, expecting some kind of answer from the foreman.

Then the doctor, realizing the hidden meaning, answered loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Yes, that’s right. If this operation goes well and we secure the riverside, we’ll be able to secure the large mart and the underground bunker within this month. Please hold on just a little longer.”

“Mart? I heard we’ll be able to secure a mart soon!”

“There’s that much food in the underground bunker?”

“I heard you have several years’ worth of canned food piled up?”

People were passing the news to each other from all over the place.

The foreman took advantage of the gap and quickly approached the production area manager.

Then he quietly coughed.

The manager was horrified by the bad breath and covered his nose.

“Oh, why is it like this?”

“It’s nothing else… … .”

The foreman, who had been looking around, stuffed a pack of cigarettes into the manager’s breast pocket.

The foreman’s aide who had been watching from behind also coughed in vain and looked around.

“Oh my, that person… I told you not to do that. It’s not just once or twice, it keeps making me uncomfortable… … .”

“Hey, please… secretly give me the ones from the garden that are in bad condition. You know, we don’t have enough to eat. If we keep doing this and starve to death, it won’t be easy to control them. The atmosphere is already chaotic because the people who were taken away last time haven’t come back yet.”

“I can’t give you a definite answer, but I’ll try my best.”

The manager, who could not stand the foreman’s bad breath the whole time, reluctantly made a promise and pushed him out.

After the doctor and the administrator left, the empty truck returned with its soldiers, and the gates in the fence closed.

Soon the foreman’s entourage lined up large drums containing food and prepared the rations.

People stood in line, each holding a bowl of rice that they had picked up somewhere.

In fact, it was mostly just a bowl of rice, a beverage can cut in half or a disposable container that was used to clean it.

The workers were so used to it that they didn’t even think about removing the old dirt stuck on their rice bowls.

“That little shit is pretending to be clean… … .”

The foreman muttered as he glared at the manager as he disappeared beyond the fence.

It was completely different from before.

He was a completely different person with a life-threatening look in his eyes.

Next to me, a worker brought out a clean stainless steel bowl filled with porridge.

“Class president, you worked hard today. Please eat first.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sick of being told to kill you. Just eat as much as you want.”

“But you still have to eat… … .”

The foreman sent the worker, who was standing there blankly, away.

The worker, who was about to put the food full of garnish back into the drum, looked around for a moment and then started eating himself.

The drums that the workers were distributed contained porridge mixed with various ingredients and meat.

The smell wasn’t bad, but visually it didn’t look like much of an edible food.

The problem is that even that is woefully inadequate.

Regardless, the foreman walked to his tent.

A tent that is slightly larger and has more space than other people’s tents.

Inside, there were various daily necessities.

It definitely had a different atmosphere from the tents of regular workers.

Soon, several of his closest associates came in, keeping an eye out.

They took out the canned food they had hidden with indifferent faces.

There were many different types, including tuna, peaches, beans, and mackerel.

Occasionally, cans containing ham were also seen.

It was more like a feast compared to the porridge that the workers ate.

The foreman, who was quietly eating canned food, noticed the workers standing in line.

The line of workers streaming in from the East and West Gates was so long that there was no end in sight.

At first, half of them could not eat food.

There used to be a lot of problems in the beginning.

Every time there was a meal, people would rush to line up, fights would break out, and many miserable situations would occur that were too difficult to bear to watch.

So now when the food arrives, I pour water into the drum.

The amount of food returned to each individual was reduced, but thanks to this, everyone was able to eat.

At that moment, the foreman opened his mouth.

“How are the new guys? Are they adjusting well?”

“Yes. I do whatever I’m told.”

“What were those guys doing?”

Unlike other areas, there seemed to be no separate information about new survivors in the border area.

The closest aide searched his memory.

“There was an old man who ran a car center, an archery player, and a young guy who was broadcasting on the Internet… … .”

“also?”

“There it is. White and tall, like a pole.”

“What the hell was he doing?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t really answer when I ask him questions, and he seems to be a quiet person. Also… his eyes are a bit… .”

“twinkle?”

The foreman’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

“It’s a bit awkward. When I ask, he just stares at me, which makes me feel uncomfortable. So I just didn’t ask.”

“You don’t know either?”

The rest of the aides just looked at each other in response to the foreman’s question.

At that, the foreman’s brow furrowed.

“These guys… Hey, what did I tell you? Didn’t I tell the workers not to be discouraged? We’re not like them. They’re the ones who were brought in after the door closed, and we just got in right on time, but we don’t have a place to live. This is not going to work out. How many times have I told you that they’ll crawl up as soon as you show them an opening?”

“sorry.”

The atmosphere in the tent quickly became heavy.

The foreman’s murderous eyes, who had been chewing on canned food, turned to someone waiting in line.

“But why is that crazy guy wearing long sleeves in this weather?”

* * *

Beomsik felt very uncomfortable.

Since coming to the safe zone, there hasn’t been a single thing I’ve liked.

Of course, it’s only the second day now.

Han Jae-jeong and Kang Min-yeong were nowhere to be seen, and all they saw around them were smelly and dirty workers.

And above all… … .

I was feeling unwell because of the unidentified porridge that came out once a day.

I was also curious about the identity of the water that was poured before each distribution.

Do you think they’ll pour me some drinking water?

I didn’t think it would be that friendly.

There were more than a few times when I wanted to turn everything upside down after seeing soldiers pointing their guns at me while giving me food.

Beomsik looked around.

A little further away, Youngman and Anna were standing in line.

After the four people, including Hyun-soo, entered the border area, their conversation noticeably decreased.

Of course, the sleeping quarters were arranged nearby in order, but when I saw the way things were going here, I lost all desire to talk.

Moreover, when I was acting like this, I felt like smashing his head in.

I pushed the head of the big guy who was meddling in nonchalantly to the side.

This kid was tight too.

Anyway, those without hair.

“Hey, did you just push me?”

The big, thick-skinned guy thrust his chest into Beomsik’s chest.

Beomsik was a little taller than him, but there was a big difference in their physiques.

He was the type who relied only on his size and made a fuss.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

Beomsik glared at him without saying a word.

The big guy thought he really didn’t like that look in his eyes.

A dry gaze that seems to regard oneself as no different from an insect.

“If my brother asks, I have to answer!”

“Hey! What’s wrong!”

Just as the big guy was about to throw a punch, a familiar face separated the two of them.

It was Lee Hyun-soo.

The big man asked with a bewildered look on his face at his sudden appearance.

“What are you?”

“I’m sorry. Oh my, my brother has a pretty face, but his health is not so good. He got a head injury on his way here, so he’s a bit violent, so please understand. Just looking at him, you can tell that he’s not worth a single punch. Please forgive him generously. There’s no good in bullying the weak. There are many people who see it this way.”

Beomsik, who had suddenly become mentally ill, raised his head and sighed.

But the situation is already over.

The large man, conscious of the gaze of those around him, coughed in vain and went to the group further ahead.

Beomsik glared at Hyunsoo.

“Do you want to die?”

“haha…….”

Hyun-soo’s body ached all over as if a knife was attached to his horse.

Why do you look at people like that? I told you, you’re the kind of person who can’t be understood.

“Get out of the way. I’m going to kill that thing.”

“Hold on a second, hyung. If you cause trouble here, you’ll be arrested right away. Food and everything else will be over. So just hold on for a bit. Do you know? Maybe Jae-jae will think of us and come back with some good news? If he does, let’s see if he gets caught by beating up someone.”

“Not a word of good news… Anyway, the salty guys… … .”

Although the cursing continued, it was true that Beomsik’s excitement subsided a little after Jaeyui’s name was mentioned.

By the time the two men had received their rations and returned to their tents, something a bit more complicated was happening in the back row.

One by one, men with tattoos all over their bodies gathered around Anna.

They were walking around with their tops off, as if they were trying to show off their tattoos.

There were four of them, and it was obvious what they were doing.

The men surrounded Anna, and one of them spoke to her.

In fact, this was a common occurrence in border areas.

And the victims were always weak women.

Unfortunately, there was nothing that could protect them.

Even though the sun was out now, it was impossible to know exactly what was going on at night.

“How old are you? Where are you from? What’s your name? Let’s talk for a minute.”

Anna’s patience was slowly reaching its limit.

“Get out, you stink.”

“Oh.”

Anna’s bold actions caused the men to burst out laughing without anyone saying anything first.

“Yeah, it’s just not fun. After all, a woman needs to be able to bounce around… … .”

As he said that, he placed his hand on Anna’s shoulder, who was wearing only sleeveless clothes.

A rough hand ran up my shoulder and caressed my collarbone.

“Put your hands away. If you really don’t want to lose.”

“It’s okay, oppa likes that too. Falling.”

Anna sighed and closed her eyes tightly.

Infected people