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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Thwip.
Whoosh-
The arrow thudded into the crown of a head.
“Huu…”
That made 100.
[Level Up]
I nodded and looked up at the sky.
The waning crescent moon made it seem like 9 PM.
But it was 2 AM.
The helicopter would arrive in three hours.
I needed to inform the others…
…Would I be able to get an hour or two of sleep?
It was a good thing I’d lazed around and napped during the day.
“Status.”
Four days after gaining my first level.
Level 10.
It was fast, but considering I was only gaining two levels a day, it was also slow.
There were two specializations left.
Seeing the question mark still locked, I figured I would have to max out Space Explorer to unlock it.
I put 1 point into Strength, raising it to 55, then went to Soo-hyun’s room on the 10th floor and closed my eyes.
A helicopter…
Even if I didn’t wake up on time, the others would hear the helicopter.
I felt like I’d only closed my eyes for a few seconds.
The air began to vibrate.
…That sound…
It sounded like a helicopter’s rotors.
I opened my eyes.
My body felt heavy.
“Ugh, my eyes.”
It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, could it?
I checked my phone; it was 5:12 AM.
…I must have fallen asleep the moment I lay down.
I rubbed my eyes, washed my face, and got dressed. Soo-hyun was already awake, rubbing her eyes.
“Mmm… Oppa… where are you going? Huh? What’s that sound?”
She finally came to her senses, hearing the distant sound of the helicopter.
Soo-hyun looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
I chuckled.
“It’s from the government. To deal with the zombie wave.”
Soo-hyun smoothed her messy hair and blinked a few times. She still seemed half-asleep.
“A… a helicopter?!”
She finally got out of bed as I was putting on my lifting belt.
I could hear the others stirring.
I nodded to Soo-hyun and left the apartment.
Ye-eun, Eun-seo, Jun-hyuk, Tae-young, Hoon and his wife, and the others were emerging from their apartments, looking around curiously in the hallway.
Thud-thud-thud-
The helicopter sound grew louder.
“Wh… what’s that sound?”
“Sir, that sounds like a helicopter.”
They gathered around me.
I nodded and said,
“It’s from the government.”
“S…So you’re leaving for the operation?”
I smiled.
“Yes.”
They looked at each other, their hair tousled and eyes puffy from sleep.
A mix of worry and anticipation filled their faces.
I chuckled and went up to the rooftop.
They followed me.
5 AM.
The sun was just beginning to rise, painting the sky with shades of blue.
I could see the helicopter approaching in the distance.
I stood on the rooftop, looking up at the sky.
The others gathered around me, also watching the helicopter.
“W…What if they all swarm the building…?”
“Don’t worry. They’ll know what to do.”
As they voiced their concerns and reassured each other, Eun-seo said,
“Let’s be prepared, just in case. If anything happens, the men go downstairs, and Soo-hyun and I will take care of the rooftop.”
“Okay.”
“Sure.”
The men hurried downstairs.
They were probably going to get their bows.
It seemed they’d already discussed it amongst themselves.
They were handling things well.
I smiled and looked up at the sky.
Thud-thud-thud-
The helicopter was coming closer.
Closer and closer.
And then, they started moving.
Groar! Groar!
A sound like oil boiling in the depths of hell rose from below.
From beneath the building.
The zombie wave was starting to react to the helicopter.
Even though it was still far away.
I slowly walked towards the edge of the roof.
They might be looking up at the sky.
But their eyesight was poor.
There was no chance they could see me, see us, from this height.
They were simply searching for the source of the sound.
I gripped the edge of the roof and looked down. The dark heads of the zombie wave, which had resembled a disgusting patch of mold, were moving in all directions.
Like a mass seizure.
Groar- Groar!
The sound of the helicopter and their roars mixed into a cacophony that assaulted my ears.
Their monstrous cries were loud enough to be heard clearly even from this height.
Thud-thud-thud-
Groar! Groar!
The helicopter drew closer.
Closer and closer.
And then they started moving.
Kraaaa! Kraaaa!
The closer the sound of the rotors, the more frantically they thrashed.
Crash! Smash!
They swarmed the surrounding stores, shattering windows.
Kraaaa!
Thud-thud-thud-
The helicopter was approaching!
It was close!
It flew to within about a hundred meters.
It was streamlined.
A rescue helicopter, was it?
The sound of the rotors was deafening.
Even banging on a giant drum wouldn’t be this loud.
The earsplitting noise vibrated the air, and then a gust of wind, carrying dust, blew towards us.
I wasn’t sure if it was the wind from the helicopter or a natural gust.
The helicopter, flying low enough to almost graze the rooftops of the buildings, slowly stopped and tilted its rotors from side to side, as if acknowledging our presence.
And then it started moving again.
It circled our building once, flying in a wide arc.
Kraaaa! Kraaaa!
The zombie wave started converging from all directions.
The zombie wave, which had been covering the entire city, was now swarming towards us, following the helicopter, trampling and grabbing at each other.
Kraaaa! Kraaaa!
The sound was deafening.
So-eun was clinging to Ye-eun, trembling.
We would have to shout to be heard over the noise.
It wasn’t just the helicopter; the monstrous cries of the zombie wave mixed with it, creating a continuous barrage of thunder.
Thud-thud-thud-
The helicopter circled our building twice and then slowly flew straight ahead.
It wasn’t fast.
It was slow.
At a frustratingly slow pace, the helicopter gradually moved away from us.
And the zombie wave, which had converged on our building, began to follow.
Filling the spaces between buildings, trampling and crushing each other, they surged forward like a wave of flesh, chasing the helicopter.
It took another two hours for the helicopter to completely disappear from sight.
And then, the zombie wave was gone.
The streets were quiet, almost peaceful and deserted.
Except for the faint sound of the helicopter and distant roars echoing from the sky, the streets were back to normal.
“…Ha.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
That was an interesting experience.
The faces of the people behind me were filled with relief.
So-eun and Ye-eun were sobbing.
Soo-hyun’s eyes were also filled with tears.
They must have been terrified.
I looked at them and smiled.
“It’s over. Let’s eat.”
They hurried down the stairs.
“Whew, I was so scared something would happen.”
“Seriously. I was terrified.”
Tae-young and Han-tae exchanged words, and the others also expressed their relief.
Laughter erupted among them.
I watched them go, then turned my gaze back to the distant sky.
A helicopter pilot…
A valuable asset.
The ability to lead a zombie wave away like the Pied Piper was a treasure in these times.
I watched the helicopter, now a tiny speck in the distance, for a moment, then went down the stairs.
“Don’t lose it, okay?”
“I know.”
I folded the map Soo-hyun had drawn for me and put it in my back pocket.
She had drawn the route from here to Han River Middle School.
The rendezvous point was Yongsan.
I would have preferred to fly there by helicopter, but it was impossible. Cars were blocking the roads, leaving no place for the light aircraft to land or take off.
I would have to walk.
Relieved by the cleared streets, everyone had gathered on the first floor.
To see me off.
“Oppa, be careful. Okay? Don’t get hurt.”
Ye-eun took my hand and said.
“I will.”
“Come back safely. I’ll be waiting.”
Eun-seo.
I took her hand and nodded.
Soo-hyun also came over and held my arm.
So-eun, Hoon, Tae-young, Jun-hyuk, Han-tae, and many others gathered around me.
They all said something, but I couldn’t remember everything.
Among them, I noticed someone.
The woman who still wouldn’t tell me her name.
She was standing at the back, hands clasped tightly, watching me.
I would have to ask her why she wouldn’t tell me her name when I got back.
I smiled at her.
And then I turned around.
“Call me. Okay? Call me frequently. Got it?”
Soo-hyun was always worried.
I chuckled and went down the stairs.
I looked back, and they were all crowded at the entrance, watching me.
I waved.
“I’ll be back.”
My women.
And my people waved back.
I smiled at them.
They were practically family.
I chuckled at the thought and started walking.
Let’s go.
To Yongsan.
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