Chapter 157
Once the survivors arrived at Gimpo Airport, they headed straight to the passenger terminal, avoiding the zombies that were filling up the runway.
Lee Jeong-Uk, Park Gi-Cheol, Bae Jeong-Man, and Park Shin-Jeong stood guard at each entrance to prevent zombies from approaching, while Do Han-Sol took his underlings to the runway.
Hundreds—or even thousands—of zombies swarmed in front of the military transport plane. The people trapped in the plane could do nothing but watch as death approached them. Do Han-Sol saw the zombies swarming the aircraft, and angrily let out the zombie instincts he had been containing within him.
It had been a while since he’d been able to unleash his zombie side. It was because he was no longer on defense; he was now the aggressor.
“Kill them all.”
When they received Do Han-Sol’s orders, all one thousand of his underlings ran toward the runway, growling deep in their throats. Do Han-Sol led the charge as he raced toward the street zombies, his red eyes flashing.
His underlings swept through the street zombies like a tidal wave and wiped them out, like a tank corps sweeping away infantry soldiers.
Tommy, who was watching all of this happen from the aircraft, called the commander.
“Commander, Commander! I think you should look at the situation outside.”
The commander cupped his face with his palms.
"What seems to be the problem?”
He seemed ready to accept his fate, but then realized that Tommy’s expression seemed curious. The anxiety that had been present earlier on was gone, and his expression was now completely different. Fear had been replaced by confusion.
The commander looked out at the world beyond the glass windows of the plane. His eyes went wide, and he was stunned for a moment.
“Uh… Those… What are those?” he finally managed to stutter.
“What do you mean? They’re a new type of zombie.”
“So zombies are attacking zombies?”
“I’ve told you several times that it was impossible to know how the virus may have mutated in Korea, since there are four distinct seasons here. What do you plan on doing now?”
The commander stared outside the window for a while, then swallowed and clenched his fists.
“Wait. Isn’t this better for us?”
Tommy looked over at the commander, hoping that whatever was going through the commander’s mind wasn’t what Tommy suspected.
“No… You're not thinking about going out to fight, are you?"
“This is our chance. We have to get to the terminal and get supplies while the zombies are fighting each other.”
“The ones that just arrived are different from the zombies we've dealt with. They have far superior physical abilities. Going outside is a death sentence.”
"Then what? Are you just going to wait here until you die?”
The commander glared at Tommy, and he looked down at the floor, his expression growing troubled.
Just then, Alyosha, who had been peering out the window as well, yelled out like an excited little child.
"Oh, oh! It’s red, red!”
Tommy sighed.
“Alyosha, please get back to your senses. Please? I’m begging you.”
Alyosha flashed a broad smile and pointed toward a zombie.
“It’s red! The zombie has red eyes.”
Tommy tilted his head and followed Alyosha’s finger. He saw the zombie Alyosha was talking about slaughtering other zombies as its red eyes flashed. Just looking at it sent chills down his spine.
It was a mutant.
‘A mutant zombie coming out of nowhere starts slaughtering other zombies…?’
At that moment, the zombie with red eyes shouted, the veins in its neck bulging.
“Protect the aircraft! Make sure it doesn’t get damaged!”
Tommy couldn’t help but gasp in shock when he heard it speak. His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. Alyosha, who was next to him, burst into laughter as though he were enjoying the situation.
“The zombies here make some unusual cries, don’t they?”
“It’s speaking a language.”
"Huh?"
“It’s Korean. That zombie is speaking!” yelled Tommy in confusion.
The commander approached the two of them.
“What was that? Zombies speaking?”
“That zombie is speaking!”
"Is it speaking Korean?"
"Yes! It just said to protect the aircraft so that it doesn’t get damaged!”
"Then… Are you saying that it’s a zombie that possesses some sort of intellect?”
Tommy wet his parched lips before answering.
“I'm not sure. But assuming that it does possess some type of intellect, and judging from the way its giving orders to other zombies… It seems like it can control other zombies. And I think its trying to protect us.”
“What if they’re just after what we have?”
"Then it wouldn’t have said to protect the aircraft from getting damaged.”
“...”
The commander remained silent as Tommy laid out his reasoning. Tommy swallowed, then continued.
“Let's watch what happens. If we go out now, it’ll just make matters worse.”
The commander frowned. “Are you saying we should stay put and rely on this zombie when we don’t even know what it is or what it wants? I'm sorry, but I can't accept that.”
Tommy raised his voice.
“I’m telling you, you can’t go out! The zombie with red eyes has some sort of intellect; it knows how to think. We have to observe the situation from here, and when the situation settles down, we have to talk our way through!”
“And what if it’s not willing to talk to us?”
"If conversation doesn't work, then you'll end up just like your men who lost their lives in the lab."
Tommy stared unflinchingly at the commander. The commander’s eyebrows twitched, and his expression grew dangerous.
"Say that again,” he growled in a low voice.
“Anyway… I can’t let you go out.”
Tommy backed away, realizing that he had said something he should’ve not said. However, it was too late. The commander’s mind was clouded over. He grabbed Tommy’s collar.
"I told you to say that again.”
“My apologies… My emotions ran high.”
“Without them, you wouldn't even be here on this plane. They’re the ones who sacrificed their lives, shivering in the cold, enduring sleepless nights, all so that you and all the other folks in the lab could have a warm place to do your research. Don’t act so high and mighty.”
“My sincere apologies…”
The commander pushed Tommy away and took a deep breath. Alyosha, who had been watching the two of them, scratched his head and spoke up.
"Excuse me… Tommy? Commander?"
The two looked at Alyosha, who was pointing out the window with his thumb.
“The red-eyed zombie is staring at us.”
Do Han-Sol’s face was glued to the window. He was trying to figure out what was inside the aircraft. The commander quickly pulled out his pistol and aimed it toward Do Han-Sol.
“Don't shoot!” Tommy yelled quickly.
He knew that if the window shattered, the plane would no longer be useful. The bullet might ricochet around inside the fuselage as well, which could cause serious damage to them. But of course, the commander had no intention of firing his pistol either. He had just reflexively pulled it out in surprise.
The commander looked at Do Han-Sol's face and slowly lowered his gun. Tommy swallowed and took a deep breath, and walked cautiously to the window. He looked at Do Han-Sol and cautiously opened his mouth.
"You… Can you hear me?”
"Huh? Huh!?”
Do Han-Sol’s eyes went wide as he looked at Tommy, then a grin spread across his face.
"Do you speak Korean?" he asked Tommy.
“...”
After hearing his question, Tommy turned slightly and gave the commander a careful look. The commander sucked on his lower lip, pondered for a little bit, then gave the order to the soldier next to him.
“Open the hatch.”
"Yes, sir!"
The tightly-sealed aircraft finally opened, and the people in the aircraft came face-to-face with hundreds of zombies right in front of them. The zombies were staring blankly at them.
Step by cautious step, Tommy exited the aircraft. Do Han-Sol walked over to him and began to speak.
"Thank goodness. I thought I wouldn't be able to communicate with you all because there would only be foreigners on board.”
“What are you…?”
"Pardon?"
“Are you a zombie or a human?”
Do Han-Sol smiled sheepishly.
“I have a zombie body, but I have a human mind.”
His ambiguous answer made Tommy’s brow furrow. After a moment, dozens of Russian soldiers piled out of the aircraft, guns at the ready. Do Han-Sol looked at them and scratched his head.
“I’m sorry, but why don’t you lower your guns? I mean, I did just save your lives,” he said.
Tommy looked at the commanding officer behind him and asked him to order his men to lower their guns. The soldiers lowered their guns, but the commander still looked at the zombies around them nervously. After a moment, Tommy and the commander began conversing in Russian.
Do Han-Sol waited for them to finish. A little later, Tommy turned to face Do Han-Sol again.
“So… What exactly happened in Korea?”
“Well, as you can see, there are zombies everywhere. What’s the situation like in other countries? Are there even any safe countries out there?”
Tommy remained silent, allowing Do Han-Sol to infer the answer on his own.
“So, the other countries… Their situations are as hopeless as ours?”
Tommy nodded silently, and Do Han-Sol grimaced.
“Then why did you evacuate to Korea?”
“We have to get to a lab.”
"Pardon? A lab?”
“The Korean Brain Research Institute, located in Daegu.”
Tommy’s expression was serious. Do Han-Sol’s eyes went wide.
“Are you saying Daegu is safe?”
“I’m not sure about that. But I was in contact with the lab there until recently.”
“Are you saying that you’ve been in touch with other research institutes as well?”
“We assume that the labs located in Canada are the safest, but… We don’t have enough fuel on our aircraft to get there.”
After hearing the rough rundown of their situation, Do Han-Sol looked Tommy up and down.
“Judging by the way you’re dressed, I assume you’re a vaccine researcher?” he said.
"Yes. I can't tell you the details because it's confidential."
“I don’t think I’d understand what you say anyway. I'm not interested. Do you think there’s any potential for the research to be completed?”
“I can’t tell you that either.”
“...”
Do Han-Sol smacked his lips, and a bitter expression flashed across his face. He chuckled and continued to speak.
“Anyway, consider yourselves lucky. You got here just in time while I was around.”
“Do you have some sort of outpost at Gimpo Airport?”
"No. Not at all. But I can’t go into the details, because it's confidential,” Do Han-Sol said with a smirk and a laugh.
Tommy raised his eyebrows and glared at Do Han-Sol. But thinking about it, he didn’t need to know whether or not Do Han-Sol was staying at Gimpo Airport. He brushed the matter aside, slicked his hair back, and cut to the chase.
“We’re planning on securing some jet fuel to get to Daegu Airport. If you don’t mind, do you think we can get some jet fuel?”
“Well, that’s beyond my knowledge. I don’t know anything about that either.”
"Pardon?"
"It’s not like I’m the manager of this place, nor do I control this place. I just got here, so I don't know."
Tommy tilted his head. “If you’re not the manager…”
Do Han-Sol looked back toward the passenger terminal and waved his right hand. Lee Jeong-Uk and the guards came out, holding K2 rifles. Lee Jeong-Uk looked nervously at the Russian soldiers and researchers. It was a different kind of nervousness compared to what he felt when he faced zombies.
Lee Jeong-Uk looked at Do Han-Sol.
“Who are these people?” he asked.
“They say they have to get to the Korean Brain Research Institute in Daegu.”
Lee Jeong-Uk’s eyes went wide. "Daegu? Is Daegu safe?”
Tommy replied by smacking his lips.
“I’ve already told him about it. Do you think we can go somewhere inside and talk?”
“Nope. It doesn’t work that way. Besides, there’s no guarantee that you really are researchers.”
“...”
“Just tell us what you want,” Lee Jeong-Uk said in a no-nonsense tone.
Tommy looked over at Alyosha, who was beside him. They conversed in Russian for a brief moment, then Alyosha pulled out a small syringe. It was filled with a bright blue liquid.
Tommy pointed at the syringe.
“Do you know what that is?”
Lee Jeong-Uk saw the liquid in the syringe and swallowed. He could tell what it was without Tommy having to explain.
"It can’t be… Is it a vaccine?”
“It’s the future of mankind,” Tommy replied resolutely.
Lee Jeong-Uk stared at Alyosha for a moment, lost in thought. He realized that, even though he had no clue what was going on, there was nothing to lose by getting some information from them. Besides, there was no point staying outside any longer. There will still be zombies left; it was only a matter of time before they would pick up the scent of humans and come after them again.
Lee Jeong-Uk looked at the Russian soldiers behind Tommy.
“No one can carry firearms. Tell the soldiers in the back to disarm.”
Tommy relayed Lee Jeong-Uk’s demands back to the commander and the soldiers behind him. The commander frowned, and shouted furiously in Russian. Do Han-Sol moved in front of Lee Jeong-Uk, his red eyes flashing. If violence broke out, he would kill all the soldiers without thinking twice.
Tommy noticed Do Han-Sol, and quickly mediated the situation, doing his best to persuade the commander. The commander spat on the floor with an unsatisfied expression, but then he put the rifle that he was holding down on the floor. He then laid down all of his other weaponry, including his knife and pistol, on the floor.
After patting down the new arrivals, Lee Jeong-Uk guided them to the terminal.
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