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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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“Phew…”
When I entered the motel, a group of people was gathered there. The president, the Chief Secretary, Sung Kyu-hyuk, Sung Ga-yeon, the captains, and Sergeant Song Kyu-tae. The leaders of this group were all in the lobby, looking at me.
What was going on?
President Min Jeong-woo approached me.
“You’ve arrived, Sung-hoon. You worked hard again today.”
I wiped the blood from my chin and said,
“Is there an empty room? I’d like to wash up before I leave.”
Chief Secretary Ahn Jun-gyu replied,
“Of course. A room is always ready for you. But before that, could we have a word?”
I tilted my head.
“Yes. What is it?”
Sung Kyu-hyuk spoke.
“We’ve decided to go to Pyeongtaek. We leave at 10:00 tomorrow.”
I looked at him, slightly surprised.
Was it already time?
Ah, it had been almost four weeks.
Seorae Village had become a considerably large community of survivors, with a population of about 200.
Ten-meter-high barricades now surrounded the area, making it difficult for even a zombie wave to breach.
This was the result of the survivors, desperate to live and not be torn apart, reinforcing the town as soon as they recovered.
With 200 people, food was a significant issue, but I heard they planned to cultivate the fields at the sports complex and the girls’ high school beyond it.
For four weeks’ work, they had done quite well.
Pyeongtaek.
This meant they had stabilized the surrounding area to some extent.
It also meant they were no longer conducting rescue operations.
I nodded.
“10:00, you said?”
Sung Kyu-hyuk nodded.
“That’s right. The 2nd and 3rd Special Forces teams will move by helicopter. The 4th and 5th teams will remain here to defend Seorae Village. We hope you will join us for the Pyeongtaek operation, Sung-hoon.”
I chuckled.
“Don’t even think about leaving without me.”
At that, smiles spread across the faces of the president and the others.
President Min Jeong-woo said,
“Our men wouldn’t go anywhere without you, Sung-hoon. Of course, you must come with us.”
The Chief Secretary added,
“But it will take some time. Will that be alright?”
I looked back and forth between the Chief Secretary and Sung Kyu-hyuk.
Time.
“How long do you think it will take?”
“That depends on how many of them are there.”
Hmm.
He had a point.
I nodded.
“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. I need to wash up first.”
“You don’t know how long it will take?”
Soo-hyun asked, her brow furrowed.
Of all the people gathered on the rooftop, she was the only one with a sour expression.
“Hmm. It could be a few days, maybe longer.”
“Aish, seriously!”
She really didn’t like being away from me.
She’d been subtly against my daily commute as well.
But besides Soo-hyun, the others, especially the men, were all smiles.
“Go get a ton of stuff, Sung-hoon. Let’s make this place an impenetrable fortress.”
“A machine gun would be nice.”
“A-and grenades, sir.”
Hmm.
They were all on the same page.
I smiled.
“I was thinking of landmines, but machine guns are good too. I’ll bring back whatever I can get my hands on.”
“Ooh, landmines!”
The men’s faces lit up.
Well, we were all in agreement.
The women, on the other hand, seemed unable to follow our conversation.
I said,
“To continue living like this, we need weapons to protect ourselves. Powerful firepower that can help us survive another zombie wave.”
I looked around the rooftop.
Sprouts were growing fresh and green in the vegetable garden.
I smiled.
“It’s been over two months since the world ended. We need a lot of things to keep living. The president mentioned electricity and water. That’s what we need. To live.”
I looked at everyone, especially Soo-hyun, and said,
“I’ll be going out a lot. But I’ll always come back, so don’t worry. Let’s just focus on living like we are now. Just because the situation is desperate doesn’t mean we have to be. Let’s live with strength.”
“Hear, hear!”
Jun-hyuk started clapping.
Then, the others joined in.
I’d just given a speech without even realizing it.
Hmm.
The next morning.
I slung on my backpack, filled with bottled water, energy bars, and chocolate, and left the building.
After being seen off by the people gathered on the first floor, I got on my bike and headed to Seorae Village.
Seorae Village.
A special forces member on guard duty at the barricade lowered a ladder.
I climbed up and asked,
“Is everyone ready?”
“The president seems to be giving a speech right now. Everyone is ready.”
Hmm, a speech.
As the president, he’d probably be better at it than me.
“You said you’re going by helicopter. Are you prepared for the zombie wave?”
The team member grinned and pointed to the motel rooftop.
A special forces member stood guard with a rifle.
“We have troops stationed on all major buildings. Other than that, those with military experience have volunteered to defend the buildings. I think we’re as prepared as we can be.”
“That’s good to hear.”
I hoped it would be enough.
I climbed down the ladder and walked to the motel.
The special forces members were lined up in front.
Across from them stood the president and the civilians, seeing them off.
“I do not doubt your courage for a single moment. However, I want you to remember that your lives are more important to us than the success of the mission.”
Hmm.
That was unexpected.
I thought a president’s speech would be more along the lines of, “Go out and fight for your lives!”
The president continued,
“Ah, here comes Sung-hoon. Our brave hero, Han Sung-hoon.”
The crowd applauded as they saw me.
I chuckled and walked over to the special forces members.
The president said,
“Sung-hoon is here, but above all, everyone, please remember this. It is not the weapons in your hands that protect our daily lives, but each and every one of your lives. Don’t get hurt. Don’t die. Live. And come back alive.”
The president spread his arms slightly.
“You all know. I lost my wife. I lost my children. All I have left is you. You, and all the other survivors, are my family now.”
The president looked at the special forces members and the people standing behind them and said with emphasis,
“We are a family. Please do not forget that.”
A solemn atmosphere settled over them.
As a man seasoned in politics, he knew how to set the mood.
The president stepped forward and began to shake the hands of the special forces members.
They each bowed as they shook his hand.
Sung Kyu-hyuk and Sung Ga-yeon also shook the president’s hand and bowed lightly.
I thought a salute would have been more appropriate, but it seemed they had decided to skip the formalities.
I didn’t know what they had discussed in my absence.
The president came to me.
“Sung-hoon. Please come back alive. We need you.”
He took my hand.
This old gentleman’s hands were so warm.
I nodded.
“I will.”
The president leaned in close and whispered in my ear,
“And, if you can, please look after our men’s safety.”
The president’s face pulled away.
I gave a slight nod in response.
After shaking hands with all the special forces members, the president returned to his position.
Sung Kyu-hyuk said in a powerful voice,
“Attention! Salute the president!”
Click!
The sound of their feet echoed as one.
And they all raised their hands to their foreheads.
The president raised his hand to his forehead in response.
When he lowered it, the team members did the same.
I watched the scene with my hand on the hilt of my sword.
…So this was it.
Impressive.
I wasn’t a soldier, and I had no intention of becoming one.
These people were a different faction from me.
Even if he was the president, I had no intention of saluting him.
Still, a ceremony like this was quite a sight to behold.
The team members turned and walked towards the barricade.
“Take care!”
A young woman waved at a special forces member.
She even wiped her eyes.
It seemed one of the team members had started dating a woman he had rescued in my absence.
The handsome special forces member looked back and waved.
Hmm.
They looked like a family seeing off their men to a battlefield.
And they were.
The place we were going to was a battlefield.
We crossed the barricade and walked towards Some Sevit.
Sung Ga-yeon slowed down and fell into step beside me.
“Did you write a will for your family?”
“A will?”
Sung Ga-yeon smiled at my question.
“We all did.”
…Seriously?
I looked at the special forces members walking ahead.
They were all silent.
Just walking with their backs to the people.
Sung Ga-yeon said,
“There are no doctors or hospitals anymore. If you get bitten, that’s it. You should at least leave a will, right? You might not come back.”
…I hadn’t thought about that.
I was immune to the evil in the first place, and I could wipe out most factions on my own, so the creatures didn’t scare me.
But these people were different.
A single scratch from a tooth on their skin, and it was over.
They were going in knowing that.
The president’s speech.
His request to me.
And the wills.
They were all prepared to die.
That was why they looked like a family seeing off their men to a battlefield.
Wow…
I’d been so focused on slaughtering them on my own that I hadn’t considered what this situation was like for others.
I looked at Sung Ga-yeon.
“What did you write in your will?”
Sung Ga-yeon grinned and shrugged.
“I didn’t really have anything to write, so I just wrote a bunch of nonsense.”
“Nonsense?”
“Yeah.”
Sung Ga-yeon smiled.
“I wrote that if I were reborn, I’d date as many men as I wanted and never join the army. And at the end, I wrote, ‘Fuck, I’m dead, you bastards! Fuck you all!’”
I wasn’t the only one who chuckled.
The shoulders of the special forces members walking ahead were shaking slightly.
…They were too good to die.
Right.
The president’s request.
I’d give it a shot.
We climbed the ladder to Some Sevit and boarded the helicopter.
Captain Park and Captain Kim were waiting for us.
“Is everyone ready?”
The special forces leader looked at each of the team members and me, then nodded at Captain Park.
Captain Park said,
“There are earplugs in that box. It’s going to be loud, so put them in.”
He started operating the helicopter.
Whirrrr
The engine started.
Captain Park said,
“We’re taking off.”
The engine sound slowly, but surely, began to sound like a cannon firing.
Orange earplugs were piled in a box behind us.
We each put them in and looked out the window.
The helicopter lifted off.
The landscape slowly descended below us.
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