The Military Chef of a Ruined World - Chapter 404



Only Noblemtl

Episode 404: Touching.

When an invitation came from Seoul.

I had expected that there would be survivors living on this side.

Since they refer to themselves as the government, I thought they might be a fairly large force.

But even so,

A design a little different from ours.

But, these are the people wearing the exact same design of military uniforms that we once wore.

“… … Military uniform?”

“Aside from us… …were there any living soldiers?”

No way.

I never thought I would meet soldiers.

After the day of destruction.

Many people died, but the highest death rate was among soldiers.

The evil that was involved in this destruction was somehow trying to suppress human power.

Gangwon-do and Gyeonggi-do.

The only soldiers who survived this destruction were a few deserters who ran away from their units and ourselves.

“No, look closely.”

I wondered if that exception had appeared.

Private Seo Su-hyeok muttered in a small voice.

“Those people are not active soldiers.”

“uh?”

At those words, my gaze turned to the soldiers’ chests.

The medicine cabinet attached to it had a gold mark on it.

It was a familiar mark to me.

I personally bought a few of them.

Because it was the mark that was on the military cap that the successor, Junhyeok, had bought for him.

“Veterans… … reservists.”

armed reserve.

Maybe civil defense is included too.

They were an army made up of retired soldiers, not active-duty soldiers.

“Loyalty.”

and.

One of them stepped forward, saluted, and said:

“Excuse me, may I know who your representative is?”

A man speaking in a rather angular posture, with a K2 rifle slung over his shoulder.

It would be natural for me to step forward at that remark.

“My name is Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok.”

The external commander of our unit.

It was Lieutenant Kim.

This was the very reason why Lieutenant Kim took on the role of external commander in the first place.

When facing other soldiers, he, as an officer, had to step up as their representative.

… … I never thought that the reason would come to light now.

“Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok… … It looks like you came from Gangwon-do, but may I ask the reason for your visit?”

“I was invited here.”

“… … Are you a member of the Legion?”

A man asking questions cautiously.

Lieutenant Kim nodded at the man’s words.

“Loyalty! I’ve been waiting for your visit.”

The man saluted with a straight posture.

He turned around and gestured inward, saying:

“Come inside. We will guide you.”

“… … Guide me.”

That’s where the name Legion came from, you know.

It wouldn’t be strange if you thought you knew about the forces in Gangwon Province by listening to the radio broadcast we sent.

Aside from that.

We still didn’t have a clear grasp of the situation.

Swish.

Lieutenant Kim turned his head and looked at my face.

‘Can I follow them?’

Those eyes that seem to ask such questions.

I looked at the soldiers around me.

Then, a moment later, a window appeared before my eyes.

[Food ingredient identification (reinforcement)]

[Primate – Human Species]

I took a look just in case.

‘These are… …at least they’re not monsters.’

then…….

‘Let’s go.’

I nodded at Lieutenant Kim.

Even if they may be a more sinister force than we thought, it is something we need to confront and find out about.

Even if there were traps, the few who came here are some of the best soldiers in the unit.

I guess I can escape somehow.

“I would appreciate your guidance.”

“Yes. Then this way… … .”

The barricades blocking the road have been removed.

The soldiers standing guard step aside to make way for us.

I followed the soldier guiding us inside.

At the same time, I looked closely at the soldiers’ appearance.

‘… … Are these really the reserve forces?’

What should I say about the image inside me?

The reserves had a slightly rougher feel.

I don’t know though, since I haven’t even been discharged from the military yet.

Why, aren’t there certain images that appear when you watch entertainment shows?

The image of someone who speaks informally to current teaching assistants… … and jokes around… …

They are also reservists for now.

“… … .”

“… … .”

The sight of them keeping their posture straight and alert while watching us pass by.

They appeared to be well disciplined.

‘I feel like a real soldier. Maybe even more so than our unit.’

We also had an identity as a military unit.

To be honest, it’s been a while since that identity became ambiguous.

A military base where horses survive.

The 423rd Battalion we were in wasn’t even a proper combat unit.

‘A small unit on top of the mountain to defend the radar… … because there were more people for facility maintenance and radar management.’

If it weren’t for the [Engineers], we wouldn’t have been able to properly operate the military unit’s equipment even if we captured it.

Did a few artillerymen fire some shots?

You probably never even thought about operating a tank.

The equipment operated by those engineers has also been modified in many ways.

With strange horns or saw blades, etc… … .

There was something about it that strangely escaped the atmosphere of a military base.

the other side.

‘They are different from us.’

The barbed wire fence that blocked where we came from was also like that.

Even the emergency lights and armored vehicles that were flashing there.

They felt like they were looking at a military unit just before the destruction.

What should I say?

‘It feels like… … I’ve returned to the time before destruction.’

The appearance of the surrounding buildings also remains largely unchanged.

The very existence of a military unit has its own heterogeneous aspects.

From my perspective as a soldier before the destruction, it really felt like I had returned to the time before the destruction.

but.

I looked at those sights and thought.

‘Considering that they are not active soldiers, the presence of soldiers in and of itself is not all that strange.’

This can be seen as a similar case to Jo Beom-seok and the Southern Branch.

An organization that recaptures military equipment and operates it.

Although recapturing a military base is never an easy task.

These are the people who survived in Seoul, a city expected to be the most difficult to survive in.

It wouldn’t have been strange if those people had somehow managed to recapture it.

okay.

Up until this point, it was possible to get through it without any problems.

“Oh my god… … look over there.”

“… … What the heck is this?”

What I can’t understand is.

This was the scenery that began to appear next.

A soldier who leads us to somewhere.

Following along, I looked around… …at the scenery of Seoul.

The scenery was… … so shocking.

There are some buildings that are somewhat damaged.

There weren’t as many people and vehicles moving around busily as in the past.

but.

“… … Oh my god, does this make sense?”

“To think that… …he’s still fine.”

The scenery of Seoul.

It was so ‘ordinary’.

‘It hasn’t changed at all from before the destruction…’

The image of Seoul that we remember.

It remained the same.

***

A while ago.

As soon as I returned from Gyeonggi-do, I toured the cities in Gangwon-do.

I think we’ve weathered this destruction pretty well.

The result of struggling to overcome that destruction.

The appearance of the city was considerably different from the past.

Some cities were destroyed, while others were evolving in completely different ways to suit the changing times.

but.

This wasn’t the place.

‘That’s ridiculous.’

A view of Seoul before its destruction.

It was so intact that it was hard to tell if it had even been destroyed, except that the electricity wasn’t on.

‘Is this… possible?’

At least if they suffered the same kind of destruction as we did.

The buildings in the city center may have long served as spawning grounds for monsters.

Then, there are cases where it completely collapses during a power struggle between monsters or when humans attempt to retake it.

For the scenery of Seoul to be this pristine, it had to be one of two things.

One is that, unlike us, the number of monsters that appeared on the day of doomsday was extremely small.

Another one is… … .

‘Or we overcame this destruction in a way that was almost miraculous.’

So that there is no major damage to the city’s facilities.

If destruction had been overcome in an overwhelmingly efficient way.

‘Neither of these is very convincing.’

In the case of Gyeonggi-do.

The destruction that has befallen us has not been limited to any particular region.

Just because Seoul is the capital of South Korea, it’s unlikely that monsters would be running wild.

That being said.

If the survivors of Seoul had suppressed the monsters this perfectly… … .

Of course, it makes even more sense.

‘… We’ll find out soon enough.’

They are the ones who invited us here.

We’ll hear more details soon.

“It’s inside here.”

“I followed the directions for now, but why am I here?”

“Ah. I didn’t hear that explanation. That’s where our commander is.”

Commander?

“There was a lot of talk on our side about whether or not the Gangwon-do corps would accept our invitation… … He expected you to come and was waiting nearby.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I’m sure you’ve been looking forward to this meeting. So… … inside.”

A building being used as a lookout.

We opened the door to the building and went inside.

‘Commander.’

He is a high-ranking official in the military.

We also have our commander, Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok.

‘To begin with, the 12th Corps and the Capital Defense Command, which are our units, are completely different units.’

Even if the commander coming from over there is a little higher in rank.

There is no reason for our side to be greatly disadvantaged.

Thinking like that.

When I opened the door and went inside.

“Ah! I’ve been waiting for you!”

The person who greeted us was a man who looked to be in his fifties and had a rather generous impression.

and.

The words that came out of his mouth left me and my unit members speechless for a moment.

“This is Lieutenant General Kim Myung-hwan, commander of the Capital Defense Command.”

“… … My name is Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok.”

Only then.

I could see why those reserve forces were able to maintain such discipline.

Lieutenant and lieutenant general.

‘It’s the same weight… … .’

Unlike us, all the officers except for Lieutenant Kim died.

The Capital Defense Command here.

‘… … The difference is quite big?’

That commander… … .

The commander survived.

***

Soldiers who came out to greet us after arriving in Seoul.

And the representative of those soldiers was none other than the commander.

‘The Capital Defense Command is a corps-level organization.’

in other words.

Unlike us, who only named our guild as Legion.

That guy was… …the real deal, the ‘Legion Commander’.

“To be honest, I thought all the soldiers in other regions were wiped out.”

He is a person who has the rank of lieutenant general.

When such a person appears.

We couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

Even if they are different units, it is the same.

Because the class gap was not at an ordinary level.

‘Perhaps, they might try to suppress us with that authority.’

For now, we have maintained our identity as a military unit.

If they are also soldiers, then it is only natural for soldiers to do so.

It was something that might force the principle of obedience on us.

of course.

That doesn’t mean we would just quietly submit to that authority.

I had no intention of following along obediently just because the author ordered me to.

‘If it comes out like that, our relationship is bound to go wrong.’

A representative of the survivors we met for the first time in Seoul.

It is not desirable to have a bad relationship with that person from the very first meeting.

“But… … Not only are there living units, but they are also transmitting radio signals like that… … .”

If the conversation were to flow that way, it would be a disaster.

I looked at that face nervously, feeling uneasy.

“Even to the point where you can come all the way to Seoul.”

A man who looked to be in his fifties had an excited expression on his face.

As if overwhelmed with emotion.

He said this while hugging Lieutenant Kim with a face full of emotion.

“You did a really great job! Really… … !”

‘……uh?’

On that face.

Tears welled up in my eyes from emotion.