“Come, come! This way. I can’t just leave heroic men who achieved such a great feat standing out here.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Thank you!? Don’t say that. I’m the one who’s grateful. You’ve let me meet such magnificent soldiers. Hahaha!”
Maybe he really was that boisterome of a person.
The middle-aged man kept thumping First Lieutenant Kim’s back as he laughed.
“Sergeant Shin. My sharp instincts are telling me something.”
“......And what are they telling you.”
“That old man—Lieutenant General Kim Myeonghwan.......”
Gwangil slid up beside me and whispered in a small voice.
“He seems really friendly toward us.”
“......Even without your sharp instincts, everyone can tell.”
“Ah.”
I didn’t know whether to call it fortunate.
But Lieutenant General Kim Myeonghwan seemed to have a pretty strong goodwill toward us.
“So these are the faces of the heroes who survived in Gangwon. All of you are damn handsome!”
Lieutenant General Kim Myeonghwan checked each soldier’s face one by one, patting shoulders along the way.
Not just First Lieutenant Kim, who currently served as our unit’s external-facing commander—
Even the look in his eyes as he studied our soldiers was full of warmth.
To be honest, that level of goodwill from someone you’d just met was a little burdensome.
But I could guess the reason.
‘Because soldiers he thought were surely wiped out came back alive.’
The former brigadier general who had now become Gyeonggi’s representative—Jo Beomseok—had seemed deeply shocked by the annihilation of soldiers and the collapse of the military.
This lieutenant general in front of us had probably spent most of his life as a soldier as well.
He must’ve been worried about what happened to military units in other regions.
“Come, sit down and let’s talk. Tell me what happened in Gangwon!”
And now we’d survived and returned to Seoul with our heads held high.
From the lieutenant general’s perspective, we must’ve looked admirable.
“Hoh—so you really held off the monsters at a military base? Incredible......!”
After that,
Lieutenant General Kim Myeonghwan began asking First Lieutenant Kim in detail about what had happened in Gangwon.
“Yes. Defense wasn’t easy, but...... we were lucky.”
“Luck? Ha! So you’ve got humility too.”
There was no reason to keep it secret anyway.
Keeping our strength exposed as little as possible,
First Lieutenant Kim carefully explained Gangwon’s current situation to Lieutenant General Kim, step by step.
“I see. So Gangwon isn’t exactly doing well either.......”
“Yes. There aren’t many cities left intact. Same with the number of humans who survived.”
“Hm. Most other regions are probably similar.”
As the explanation continued,
the face that had been full of excitement gradually grew more serious.
“If what you’re saying is true, then soldiers with military backgrounds—counting even the people here—are only around a hundred or so. And aside from you, any other soldiers who survived.......”
“None that we’ve confirmed. There were reports of a few deserters being found, but...... as time passed, those reports disappeared too. They probably didn’t last long.”
“I see...... is that so.”
When he first saw us, Lieutenant General Kim Myeonghwan had been practically vibrating with excitement.
But at the mention of so many cities in Gangwon collapsing, his face fell.
“......Still! The fact that you survived at all—truly, truly—what a relief.”
Maybe just having soldiers still alive felt like relief.
He shook his head hard, throwing off the gloom.
“When that Wall of Fire first appeared, we thought everyone outside Seoul might have died. Not just military units—whether there were any humans alive at all besides us, we honestly didn’t know.”
“We were the same.”
“Until we heard your radio. You have no idea how happy that radio made us...... The moment we heard it, I wanted to tell you. That there were humans alive besides you.”
At that,
First Lieutenant Kim spoke carefully.
“Lieutenant General, you thought everyone outside Seoul had been wiped out.”
“Hm? I did.”
“We thought the opposite—that Seoul was very likely wiped out.”
“......Hm! That’s the more normal assumption, honestly.”
“I assume you have a rough idea of Gangwon’s situation now, but what is Seoul’s situation like at the moment?”
At that,
Lieutenant General Kim stroked his chin.
“I can’t exactly say our situation is good either.”
“But even so.”
First Lieutenant Kim looked around.
This building being used as a temporary outpost was in fine shape.
And the city scenery outside the window had almost no destroyed parts compared to other cities we’d seen.
“The city looks remarkably well preserved.”
“That’s, well...... some luck, and a big part of it is that this area wasn’t a major battlefield. But contrary to appearances, it wasn’t without damage. Plenty of people died in Seoul too.”
“The number of soldiers who came to meet us also looked substantial. It didn’t seem like there were too few people.”
“Well, Seoul always had a big population. The number of people who survived now is probably.......”
At his next words,
we couldn’t help but be horrified.
“Just under a million, I’d say.”
“......Excuse me?”
Just now—
what did I hear?
*****
“It isn’t an exact count, but roughly that. Everyone else...... we assume they’re dead.”
Lieutenant General Kim Myeonghwan shook his head as if he truly regretted it.
But.
‘No...... way.’
My first instinct
was to doubt whether that was even true.
‘More than a million survivors?’
It was an absurd number.
Even if you added up every survivor in Gangwon, it was unclear whether we’d even reach ten thousand.
No matter how big a city’s population had been.
A million.......
“That means more than 10% of Seoul’s population survived!”
“If you include the floating population, it wouldn’t reach over 10%. And put another way, it means over 90% died.”
He looked like he thought the number of survivors he’d named was too small.
From our perspective, it wasn’t.
Because.
In the past, hearing that everyone except 10% of humanity died would’ve sounded like sheer horror.
But not now, with real apocalypse already here.
‘Even Gyeonggi or Chuncheon—places where a lot of people succeeded in surviving—were below 10%.’
Gyeonggi and Chuncheon had been undergoing massive dungeonification.
Because of that special environment, that ratio of population could survive.
But at least from what we’d seen,
Seoul’s environment was extremely ordinary.
And yet that many people survived anyway—
that was something impossible unless a miracle had happened.
“Right now, those survivors are gathered into different groups and operating. The Capital Defense Command—me included—is one of them.”
“......You’re saying there are other forces besides the Capital Defense Command?”
“‘Forces’ is a bit much. Groups. For now, everyone’s cooperating. Besides us, there’s also a police unit, and the biggest one is a civilian volunteer patrol. Right now, they’re spread out in different directions, waiting for survivors from other regions °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to arrive.”
Lieutenant General Kim explained it like it was nothing.
We were already shocked that properly organized soldiers remained here at all.
And now there were other groups of significant size besides them.
No—well.
If over a million people survived, of course that would be the case......
“How.......”
First Lieutenant Kim asked in a trembling voice.
“How did so many people manage to survive......?”
That Seoul had many survivors
was good news.
But the reason his voice shook like that was......
our pride.
‘We did our best too.’
To overcome this collapse,
we clenched our teeth and used every method we could.
Even if the result wasn’t the best, we believed it was at least the second best.
“If there were barely any monsters......!”
“I wish that were the case, but it isn’t.”
But.
Seoul’s population was, at most, ten million.
And nearly 10% of them survived.
Compared to what they’d accomplished......
everything we’d done until now
looked like a miserable failure—or the worst outcome imaginable.
‘How did they save that many people?’
If the answer to that question was
something like, we just worked hard and it happened,
then our pride in having endured the collapse all this time would’ve been badly wounded.
“You’ve fought a hard battle too.”
But.
“What we went through was never easy either.”
It didn’t seem like that kind of story.
Lieutenant General Kim pressed his fingers to the corner of his eye, then continued as if recalling the past.
“Monsters appeared out of nowhere and started massacring people...... and the people who were massacred got back up as zombies.”
“.......”
“It didn’t take long for Seoul to turn into hell. On the first day the monsters appeared, more than half of Seoul’s population probably died.”
I’d wondered if what they went through had been less severe than what we experienced.
It didn’t look like it.
Seoul had gone through the same collapse process we had.
“Want me to be honest? Originally, we most likely would’ve been wiped out. I’m not the kind of man who’s thought my abilities were lacking too often, but this incident...... was far beyond what I could handle.”
“Then how.”
“We all joined forces and overcame it...... sounds nice, but that would be a lie.”
Lieutenant General Kim shrugged.
“To be frank, the reason even this many people survived...... was thanks to one person.”
“One person?”
“The one who saved Seoul in that crisis wasn’t me, or other soldiers, or the police.”
The reason Seoul could be this intact.
It was none other than—
“One great hero.”
He was saying this result was created by a single person.
*****
A hero.
Lieutenant General Kim’s voice, speaking about that someone, was filled with deep respect.
“If it weren’t for that friend, we wouldn’t be walking around alive like this. They were so busy they couldn’t come out to greet you...... but you’ll see them soon enough.”
Seoul—where we’d assumed the survival difficulty had to be extreme.
Someone who’d defended that Seoul this perfectly.
“......They must be an incredible person.”
We couldn’t help being shaken by the mere fact someone like that existed.
First Lieutenant Kim too.
As if intimidated by that person’s existence, he murmured—
“......Are you really the one who should be saying that?”
“Pardon?”
At our reaction,
Lieutenant General Kim spoke in a tone like he couldn’t believe us.
“First Lieutenant Kim Hyeon-seok. I’m not a fan of doing this old-man routine, but...... if you consider the difference in our positions and time in service, the fact that you and I are walking together like this right now is, frankly, absurd.”
“......?”
“And yet, do you know why I came out personally to greet you and even guide you like this?”
He jerked his chin, indicating his soldiers.
“Most of my unit’s soldiers are veterans. The few active-duty soldiers we have were people who were on leave the day the monsters appeared.”
“.......”
“Not long after everything began, the Capital Defense Command was, for all intents and purposes, annihilated. More precisely, aside from a handful of deserters and those on leave, every soldier and executive was killed. I only survived because I wasn’t on base.”
Lieutenant General Kim’s friendly attitude toward us—
we’d assumed it was just because he was happy to see soldiers alive besides himself.
But that wasn’t all.
“Our hero is certainly impressive. But listen...... from our perspective, you aren’t something to take lightly either.”
“What do you mean.”
“When you broadcast that radio saying you were soldiers who survived, at first I thought it was bluster. I figured it was most likely a deserter group. But...... it didn’t seem that way.”
Given the huge difference in rank,
it wouldn’t have been strange if he came at us more forcefully.
But.
“You want to know how Seoul is still this intact? I’m the one who wants to ask.”
“.......”
“How, in the middle of this collapse...... did you survive as soldiers, and achieve the feat of 100% Occupation Rate?”
The lieutenant general’s expression made it clear he genuinely couldn’t believe it.
Only then did I understand why he was showing us such warmth.
“How did you lead them—so that you could survive, while so many others fell?”
Even from Seoul’s perspective, where they’d survived in good shape,
the fact that a military unit in Gangwon survived and succeeded in the Occupation War
must have felt significant.
We’d been flustered seeing Seoul standing intact.
Compared to them, what we’d done felt like nothing.
But even from their point of view,
what we’d done felt tremendous.
“We were just lucky.”
“Humility again! Not a bad thing. But everyone knows this is not a world where luck alone lets you survive.”
Lieutenant General Kim’s goodwill wasn’t just because we were a surviving military unit.
It was because, to him, we were soldiers who’d achieved a feat that made no sense.
That was why he’d set aside the old difference in ranks and showed us respect.
“To be honest, from the moment I learned you accepted our invitation and came, I couldn’t stop anticipating it.”
“Anticipating what?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Lieutenant General Kim said with an easy, friendly smile.
“A meeting between the hero who protected our Seoul...... and the heroic soldiers who survived in Gangwon.”
*****
“As I said earlier, we came here to receive survivors from other regions who visit, like you. Others are headed elsewhere.”
He said the fact soldiers from the Capital Defense Command came out to meet us wasn’t coincidence.
They knew there was a Legion in Gangwon,
and soldiers had deliberately come to this area.
“And after we join up with survivors from each region, there’s even a rendezvous point already decided. Part of me wants to move immediately, but......!”
Lieutenant General Kim talked with First Lieutenant Kim for a while,
then looked up at the sky and said—
“......Unfortunately! It’s already gotten too late today.”
“What do you mean?”
“For today, rest. Seeing your faces is enough for me. We’ll talk in detail tomorrow.”
As he said,
the time had already passed evening.
We’d talked for quite a while after arriving here.
“We don’t mind moving at night.”
“What are you saying! If your radio is accurate, didn’t you come all the way from Chuncheon? In times like these, that’s an especially long road. And I’m sure you’ve had plenty of fights with monsters along the way.”
“That’s true, but.......”
“Maybe you’re fine, but the soldiers will have fatigue built up. Work matters, but as a commander you should think about your soldiers too.”
When First Lieutenant Kim flicked his eyes toward me,
I gave a small shrug.
‘Nothing is so urgent we can’t wait.’
In truth,
we’d fought monsters a lot on the way here.
And it was true the soldiers had fatigue built up.
“......Understood. Then we’ll set up a camp nearby—”
“Ah, you don’t have to do that. My soldiers will guide you to your lodging.”
“Lodging......?”
“Mm. We’re the ones who sent this invitation, aren’t we. Of course we prepared lodging.”
Postponing the conversation to tomorrow was one thing.
But staying in lodging they prepared......
That was another matter.
“Thank you for the consideration, but...... I think we can arrange our own lodging.”
We still didn’t know if we could fully trust them.
And letting someone else control the place our soldiers would rest was dangerous.
The problem was......
“Hm...... that sounds like you don’t find the lodging we’re providing trustworthy.”
Refusing their lodging
was basically the same as telling them outright.
‘We’re suspicious of you.’
“It isn’t necessarily what I meant.”
He seemed very friendly toward us, but
if he took that as suspicion, it could sour his mood.
Maybe thinking it could cause friction, First Lieutenant Kim hurried to add—
“No, no! I’m not trying to scold you.”
“Yes?”
“Rather, I’d say I was impressed.”
Even in a situation where he was being suspected,
Lieutenant General Kim kept smiling warmly.
“Sure, in the past, doubting a superior might’ve seemed insolent. But this world is a little different now, isn’t it?”
“.......”
“It’s right to doubt everything that can be doubted. Whether it’s the possibility they’re monsters in human form, or even between humans—this is an era where you can’t trust easily. I talk like this, but the problem is I can’t actually put it into practice.......”
Lieutenant General Kim looked First Lieutenant Kim straight in the face.
“Even in front of someone with a huge difference in rank, you don’t shrink back, and you make the correct judgment.”
With a wide grin,
the lieutenant general let out a hearty laugh.
“If you’re heroes who overcame the collapse, that’s how it should be. Damn right!”
“.......”
“If you refuse, I won’t try to hold you. If you want, you can set up temporary housing outside Seoul’s perimeter.”
His goodwill toward us seemed genuine.
Even something that could have been taken as offensive, he treated positively.
“Still, there’s one thing I want to say before we move on. A lot of people died while we overcame this collapse, but...... that was the past.”
He patted First Lieutenant Kim’s shoulder.
“Trust me.”
A voice full of strong confidence.
“Seoul is safe now.”
At those words, First Lieutenant Kim glanced at me.
I hesitated for a moment—
then nodded.
“That truly wasn’t the intent. I just wondered if we’d be imposing...... but if you’re saying it that strongly, we’ll stay in the lodging you prepared.”
“Hm. Thank you for trusting me.”
After that,
a few soldiers approached and guided us to the lodging.
On the way there,
I looked down over Seoul’s night scenery.
‘What is it.’
Compared to the past, the lights had been reduced to an extreme degree,
but even so, compared to the other cities that had been ruined beyond recognition, it looked far too much like the past.
I didn’t live in Seoul.
But I’d seen that scenery often enough.
I was amazed it remained so unchanged......
And yet.
‘This sense of incongruity.’
For some reason,
the scenery still felt a little unnatural to me.
