KWA-AAAAANG...!!!
The moment Junho heard the sound of a grenade exploding somewhere high up in the apartment complex, he immediately transmitted over the radio.
“You all heard that, right? Stop the operation for now and hold position.”
- Understood. Will you be alright, Mr. Junho?
Yoon Seolhee asked from the building near the railway line, where she and the others were gathered lowering supplies down onto the tracks.
“Yes, I’m fine. Anyway, we’ll proceed according to plan. Just stay on that rooftop and eliminate any Alpha you identify.”
- Understood. Be careful.
- Roger.
- Be careful, boss.
“Okay.”
After hearing Yoon Seolhee’s voice, followed by Shin Hocheol’s and Choi Hyunwoo’s, Junho turned toward the man carrying supplies alongside him.
“Are you ready? But from here on out it’s going to get genuinely dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay hidden here?”
Kwooooar...! Kyaaah...!
Listening to the shrieks of zombies echoing from every direction, Kim Taeyoung shook his head.
“How could I do that? The whole reason I came to Jung-dong with Hyunwoo in the first place was because of Instructor Yuchan. Let’s go together. I may not be able to shoot, but I won’t hold you back.”
That was true.
The reason Kim Taeyoung—the only one exempt from military service—had insisted on coming all the way to Jung-dong was because Choi Yuchan, the MMA gym owner, and his family lived barely two hundred meters away from the apartment complex where Choi Hyunwoo’s parents lived.
“Instructor and his wife are basically family to me. Even if something happened to them... I still need to confirm it myself.”
“.......”
Junho silently nodded.
Most people in this world struggled only to keep themselves alive, committing every selfish act and atrocity imaginable.
But every now and then, there were people like Kim Taeyoung.
“Honestly, I feel more sorry toward you, Junho. We should probably just rescue Hyunwoo’s mother and leave, but because of me, now we have to go check on Instructor Yuchan too....”
“No. I planned to check on both you and the instructor from the start if I came to Bucheon anyway. It’s fine.”
That wasn’t actually true.
As far as Junho was concerned, he had already done enough by leaving behind preparations that would let Kim Taeyoung and Choi Yuchan survive for at least a while in the apocalypse.
But he could not simply ignore someone who hadn’t lost their humanity, who still tried to uphold basic decency—and who was also useful to him.
“Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. Anyway, let’s hurry.”
“Right.”
Junho and Kim Taeyoung quietly moved along the apartment flowerbeds toward their predetermined position.
Meanwhile, the roars and shrieks of zombies were growing steadily closer.
There might already be thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, converging on this area.
But Junho wasn’t particularly worried.
At least during the daytime, zombies might have noticed them, but at night there was no chance they could spot Junho and Kim Taeyoung hiding among flowerbeds that had practically become a jungle.
- Boss, they’re pouring into the complex from the roads and alleys. There are tons of them.
- There are actually fewer near the other apartment complexes. Just like you said, most of them are coming from the Simgok-dong side.
“Good. Then start. Adjust the altitude carefully too.”
- Yes, sir.
At that moment, Kim Taeyoung—who had been listening to the radio traffic on the same channel—whispered quietly.
“Man, this is seriously wild. But why aren’t many of the ones inside the apartment complex coming out?”
“The apartment complex has probably already been claimed by an Alpha. One of the buildings in Hyunwoo’s complex got taken over too. These bastards are basically like predators. Even if they’re the same species, they usually avoid another Alpha’s territory unless they’re hunting cooperatively. Especially at night.”
By now, some countries and organizations that had seriously studied zombies had probably figured that out as well.
But Junho was confident that nobody understood and exploited Alpha behavior better than he did at this exact moment.
Graaaaaah...!
Tutututututu...!
While Junho and Kim Taeyoung hid deep inside the flowerbeds listening to the zombies’ howls and the thunderous sounds of them charging closer—
Kiiiiiiing...!
A drone descended low overhead with the sharp whine of its rotors.
Kiiiiiiiiiiing...!!!
Flying just five or six meters above the wide road, the drone skimmed past the flowerbeds where the two men were hiding before urgently heading toward the entrance of the apartment complex where Choi Hyunwoo’s parents lived.
Junho slightly poked his head out from the flowerbeds and observed the situation.
Gwooooooar...!
The countless zombies that had burst out simultaneously after hearing the grenade explosion and started running through the streets and alleys now began moving after the drone’s noise instead.
Kwakwakwakwa!!! Kwaaang! Kuku-kung!
The sight of those countless zombies—enough to fill nearly half the road—sprinting wildly through the darkness was overwhelming beyond mere horror.
And if this weren’t reality but a movie or TV drama being filmed from above with aerial shots, everyone watching would probably think the same thing.
'That would be the perfect place to drop a bomb.'
So Junho decided to do exactly that.
“Beginning now.”
He pressed the trigger switch in his hand.
No bomb fell from the sky.
But the effect was more than sufficient.
The instant the drone shot upward into the air—
KWA-HOOOOOOONG...!!!
With a short, blinding flash, the intersection at the apartment complex entrance was instantly swallowed by dirt, dust, and flying debris.
Hundreds of steel balls fired from the K300 Claymore Junho had installed near the barricaded entrance ripped across the roadway in a fan-shaped spread.
“Ugh...!”
Even Kim Taeyoung, over a hundred meters away, staggered while covering his ears as the shockwave rolled over them together with the smell of explosives and thick dust.
“.......”
But Junho didn’t even blink.
Calmly and quickly, he moved on to the next step.
Click.
He lit the rag wick of a Molotov cocktail with a lighter.
The flame flickered briefly before stabilizing, and the moment it did, Junho burst from the flowerbeds and hurled it with full force.
The Molotov traced an arc through the air before crashing dozens of meters ahead.
KWAAANG!!!
Glass exploded apart and gasoline spread violently outward, flames instantly crawling across the roadway.
WHOOOOSH...!
The gasoline, lubricant, and every other flammable material Junho had scattered in advance ignited in sequence, transforming the road in front of the apartment complex into a river of red fire.
Fwoooosh...! Crackle...!
The blazing heat distorted the air itself while melted asphalt turned sticky beneath the flames.
Half-dead zombies twisted inside the inferno, shrieking horribly.
GRAAAAH...! KYAAAAAH...!
The sight of zombies blackening in the crimson flames, their bodies warping and flesh melting away like demons being swallowed by hellfire, was grotesque beyond words.
But there was no time to stand around watching.
“Coach, now.”
“R-Right.”
Still feeling as though the explosion and shockwave were rattling around inside his skull, Kim Taeyoung hurriedly got up and followed Junho.
The power of a Claymore mine—something he had experienced for the first time in his life—was absolutely terrifying.
***
Moving along the flowerbeds, Junho rapidly scanned the surroundings before crossing the road and sprinting into an alley.
The alley was actually fairly wide, large enough for a couple of cars to pass through.
It led toward the villa where Choi Yuchan lived.
Gwoooor...!
There were still zombies scattered throughout the residential area, the kind commonly found near apartment complexes in newly developed districts.
But most of the ones wandering this area had already rushed out after hearing the midnight grenade explosion, been lured toward the complex by the drone, and then gotten swept up in the chain of destruction caused by the Claymore and Molotov cocktails.
Tap! Tatak!
The ones nearby were eliminated with gunfire.
The ones farther away that hadn’t noticed them were ignored completely as Junho and Kim Taeyoung sprinted down the road.
Noise?
Compared to the hell unfolding at the apartment complex entrance, almost any sound they made was drowned out.
“T-There.”
Even while running toward the three-story red-brick villa, Junho continuously scanned the surroundings.
The buildings wrapped in weeds and tangled vines looked so overgrown it was hard to believe people had lived here just ten months earlier.
Skeletons lay scattered everywhere, while the walls and fences were stained with marks that might have been rust or dried blood.
And hidden throughout the mostly three- and four-story houses and villas, survivors were still living in secret.
After hearing the chain explosions, many people had nervously pulled back their curtains to check outside, wondering if the military had arrived.
But there was no movement at all on the third floor of Hwain Villa, the destination Junho and Kim Taeyoung were heading toward.
Tatataak!
Bursting into the villa building, Junho sprinted up the stairs three or four steps at a time.
'Not good.'
Even as he moved, a bad feeling crept into him.
Because if survivors were still living here, they would never have left the entrance this open.
At the very least, the stairway would have been blocked with obstacles made from furniture or refrigerators.
But the stairwell of Hwain Villa was completely exposed.
“Huff... huff... huff....”
Kim Taeyoung, panting as he followed behind, noticed none of this.
Soon reaching the third floor, Junho stopped in front of Unit 302 and knocked rapidly.
Thud thud thud.
Junho stared expressionlessly at the gray door while Kim Taeyoung looked at it with a mixture of tension and hope.
But there was no response.
“Let’s go to the rooftop.”
“R-Right.”
The two quickly headed upstairs.
'The rooftop door is open too?'
An even worse sign.
But Junho gave no outward reaction.
He walked to the rooftop railing, secured a rope without hesitation, and lowered it down toward the exterior balcony connected to the third-floor living room.
“You go first.”
Kim Taeyoung climbed down the rope onto the balcony, while Junho skillfully descended using the wall and gas pipes before examining the master bedroom window.
The curtains were completely drawn shut.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
He lightly knocked several times against the window.
Still no response.
“J-Junho....”
At that moment, Kim Taeyoung’s voice came quietly from the balcony, so tightly restrained it sounded as though he was holding back tears.
Junho turned toward him.
Kim Taeyoung wasn’t looking at Junho.
His eyes were fixed on the living room beyond the balcony window.
A heavy weight settled in Junho’s chest as he quickly moved over.
Then he saw what Kim Taeyoung was staring at.
“......!”
Unlike the master bedroom, whose curtains were fully closed, the living room curtains were half open.
And inside were three people.
More precisely—
Three corpses.
Two were lying neatly on the floor.
The third leaned against the bedroom door with a rope tied around the doorknob.
One more victim of the apocalypse.
A father who killed his child after the child turned into a zombie, then killed his wife after she was bitten, before finally taking his own life.
That was Choi Yuchan’s end.
***
“There. They’re passing through now. Can you see them?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, I see them.”
At Choi Hyunwoo’s quiet words as he reconnoitered the surrounding two hundred meters with the drone, Yoon Seolhee and Shin Hocheol steadied their breathing.
Through their night-vision goggles, the two watched the zombie horde crossing the elevated roadway near Jung-dong Station.
Unlike ordinary zombies sprinting toward the explosion site while shrieking wildly, dozens of others were calmly walking as though out on a nighttime stroll.
And among them—
The group identified the Alpha glowing brightly through their thermal optics like a fluorescent bulb.
“Open fire.”
Paang...! Tuhak...! Tuhak...!
At Yoon Seolhee’s command, bullets poured into a single Alpha simultaneously.
The distance was only about 120 meters, and all of them were confident in their shooting abilities, but there was no reason to take chances.
Several tungsten rounds and subsonic rounds slammed into the Alpha’s neck and face.
The creature collapsed on the spot.
Meanwhile, the slaves escorting it and the ones running farther ahead began twisting their bodies grotesquely.
“That makes four... still a long way to go, huh?”
At Shin Hocheol’s words, Yoon Seolhee gave a small nod.
“Yes. According to Mr. Junho, there are over a hundred Alphas in Bucheon alone.”
“Jesus. That’s disgusting.”
“Still, Boss said he’s already killed quite a few. Maybe ten percent are gone by now?”
“Who knows. There might be even more.”
At that moment, Lee Myeongseon—leaning against the railing while observing outside—slightly turned her head.
“By the way... there’s still been no contact from Mr. Junho?”
Lee Myeongseon had once arrested violent criminals and gangsters as a major-crimes detective.
She was not simply someone being protected.
She had been helping move supplies herself while keeping watch over the surroundings with a digital monocular equipped with thermal imaging.
“No. Not yet....”
“I see. Whew... hopefully nothing’s happened.”
Her quiet words reflected everyone’s feelings.
It had already been more than twenty minutes since Junho and Kim Taeyoung headed toward Choi Yuchan’s home.
The radio couldn’t reach that far from this rooftop, so they had been unable to make contact.
Of course, nobody believed Junho would lose.
But looking at the countless zombies still moving toward the blazing apartment-complex entrance, it was impossible not to worry.
- ...Can you hear me?
At that perfectly timed transmission from Junho, everyone visibly brightened.
And Yoon Seolhee—who personally knew Choi Yuchan thanks to Kang Baekho, the gym’s sponsor—answered especially quickly.
“Yes, we hear you. What happened? Should we head over there now? We’ll probably need to bring back the instructor’s family and any remaining supplies—”
- No. There’s no need for that.
“...What? What do you— Ah.”
For a moment, Yoon Seolhee failed to understand.
Then she froze.
- Coach and I took care of the aftermath. Everyone... stay there and prepare to move out.
“...Understood.”
Just from the sound of Junho’s voice through the earpiece, Yoon Seolhee felt as though she could clearly see both his expression and what he was feeling.
Sadness.
Rage.
And emptiness.
