Chapter 14
m1VRI looked at him with my eyes wide open.EZP
YVaKwak Hanmuk frowned.h8YMqai
rBloC“Even though Captain Mo may seem like that, she’s actually an extreme conservative. If she weren’t infected, there would be no reason for her not to make it to Green Zone.”Eitmx
jDJhI immediately understood what he meant.b8oXw
vHyqMo Haein was the type of person who placed great importance on rules, and the Trial Response Agency always established regrouping with teammates as the highest priority when entering a Trial.SuVyL
LL1llBJBecause of that, she most likely would have considered reuniting with us her primary objective.ahS
GC5HW43Even if she had encountered civilians trapped inside the Trial, she probably wouldn’t have acted alone.fugPQ
T2lShUnless it had been a truly unavoidable situation.dSJb
YA7As I thought of a reason serious enough to prevent Mo Haein from reaching Green Zone, zombie infection also came to mind.szgZV
dBpDPu2But becoming a team leader in the Agency was not something one achieved easily.HqOKtiy
J2HF55QEven if she had found herself surrounded by a group of Dead Zombies, she had more than enough ability to escape.AX1o
ivXjNHhKwak Hanmuk seemed to have reached the same conclusion, as he fell into thought.21UkG
DrBI asked cautiously.chCN
Khvw“Do you think she might have run into Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno?”T37
reb9QqQPerhaps some kind of conflict had occurred with Je Hyuno, who was aggressive toward Compatibles.o2m4
4eBn6CiAt my suggestion, Kwak Hanmuk let out an uncomfortable grunt.Z04
bl2Q“That could be it. But I doubt it. Colonel Je usually shows a certain amount of consideration toward us.”kkSZhuM
6gs5KA“What do you mean by consideration?”Hze9JD
8XKnVo“That he doesn’t attack us.”9LJ
QZi4“…Ah.”HKMl
QBT3That was true.xb7T9
IrwIn the game, he didn’t attack members of the Trial Response Agency either.VfRd
pnZ6In any case, if a zombie had really bitten her, things were becoming complicated.q28G
Lj9giIn Dead Zone Delivery, a zombie bite turned the victim into a Dead Zombie.R9iE
fKT0XTUBecause it was considered an extremely dangerous threat, protocol called for the immediate execution of any infected individual.4OQ382
3hh3‘If we achieve the True Ending, it’ll be resolved, but Je Hyuno is still a variable.’d8OYzRj
hzYaPI couldn’t guarantee the True Ending without knowing what he had been doing in this place.j3s
CA4While I was trying to organize my thoughts, an angry voice rang out in front of us.5wmB
kEY“Are you going to keep ignoring us?!”gRi
GwgI had completely forgotten about the people standing in front of us.IEpR
VjUI turned my head toward the middle-aged man.ghH1
NZRWEKyAround thirty people lived in Green Zone, including the elderly, children, and other non-combatants.asfKZ
jWmlBut all of them valued their own lives too much to venture outside the safe zone.SnSfycp
wKs07ZtObtaining food was extremely difficult.cSRb
oTsrL0That was why seeing me arrive with a backpack full of supplies was enough to drive them crazy.6ZdSuXz
gPfgL3zI pulled out a salmon-and-mayonnaise rice triangle, the food whose description I had found the most disturbing, and tossed it over the fence.kg2uMPS
ZRLdBPFor that single onigiri alone, people threw themselves forward like a pack of starving dogs.QhZuA16
6ogYCThe wrapper tore apart, and the seaweed became completely separated from the rice.NlIZgrA
9fWNUBut nobody cared.hJ1UJUj
i9gxODPEveryone was desperate to get even a single grain of rice into their mouths.3OY
DbkN49z“It’s real food.”Djqe
hXAVEven the middle-aged man, who was trying to maintain some dignity while speaking with rice stuck around his mouth, couldn’t hide his excitement.2lOD
UAZ5CjqIf Kwak Hanmuk and I had opened a sausage or a snack in front of them, they probably would have fainted.rLkA
j95xScI lightly tapped my backpack.eYyP
ZrcCs“If you let us in for a moment, we’ll tell you where to get food. There’s much more than this.”kzPY0di
ldGXThe survivors exchanged glances for a long time.zXwI3
GyqTEventually, they opened the gate.OuI
TFbTA9dHowever, that didn’t exactly lead to a peaceful situation.sY9YNj
cVUZFThe middle-aged man, who acted as Green Zone’s leader, cleared his throat.qZR7A
EA3i59M“Ahem. We will also allow you into our safe zone.”a76J
aDgKwak Hanmuk let out an incredulous laugh at that condescending attitude.xZOOt8
g2EtKThen the leader added,u3LssY
4a04e“But first, share that backpack.”tDps
7VmCJHKThe weapons were still pointed at us.QynJE
RKLhBDrThey thought we had obtained food, but not weapons.fhpJh
0A1C1TIt was exactly what I had expected.bOr
On4FxD1I looked at Kwak Hanmuk.TgsGX
q2DHe remembered perfectly the favor I had asked of him before entering Green Zone.CdRh
cMyvAnd he had carried out the mission flawlessly.cipfM
Dp2TbSWith both hands in the pockets of his baseball jacket, Kwak Hanmuk cursed.jUJ7
GEnAR“Damn it.”JEGviY
8dLH“What did you just say?”grrmFX
mYsAP“Wow, sorry. You must have hearing problems.”eceX7r
gATIn just two steps, he arrived in front of the leader and leaned forward slightly.2CNJ
vpKjKwak Hanmuk was tall and broad-shouldered.S2RKH59
5x6izS8His physical presence was imposing.8amoipg
Z2hXIntimidated without realizing it, the leader shrank back.yFVQxV
ALSlKwak Hanmuk looked down at him and clearly repeated his words.QDY9
wVj9G“I said that’s a damn stupid idea.”GOzmb
8MH“Y-You… insolent…!”Go7Is
HLHHFThe leader’s face turned red with anger.gnEN
op5PByxAt that exact moment, Kwak Hanmuk pressed a pistol against his head.czO
N84EeRQFeeling the barrel against his skull, the man froze completely.Htl
gUU02l1I spoke calmly.0gL
KKUG“We already have several firearms. I don’t want to waste time.”x9hAx
F2bZiiip.FObdP
l2pFI opened the duffel bag.ejz9
9DoIInside were pistols, submachine guns, ammunition, knives, axes, and many other weapons.ZvpPm
J9JIdJI made sure he could see everything.mm45Ck1
FCABZThen I asked,CWTgLp
NrzC“Do you want to keep arguing?”X3YInAu
Jpia2“N-No… I… I’m sorry. I think I got a little carried away…”GbLY
lVxDHThe leader stammered out an unconvincing apology.epjkwH
n5dg4s0I had no intention of taking over Green Zone, so I decided to leave the matter there.KJq0
JV1nKwak Hanmuk returned to my side and picked up the duffel bag.Y6EEi2x
MtRF3nThe entire way here, he had dealt with the zombies while I carried the luggage.vCqEhc
dhFLU4Now he was carrying both the duffel bag and the backpack.d3bcp
zyTK3E“How embarrassing, making only Big Brother Goyo carry everything.”8SM4Ps
floHaving someone seven years older than me continue calling me Big Brother was starting to become unbearable.BhEFGk
P9JeI asked him again to just call me Goyo.CKSS7
OhUllyAfter that, I explained our objective for entering Green Zone.ZKr
YviKO“There’s an item we need to obtain here.”ZZgCh
aUoG1pThe Special Mission Team’s temporary headquarters would be established in Yellow Zone.xHlcO
tbyThe idea was to build a base as close as possible to Dead Zone in order to reduce the time needed to reach the laboratory.ienb
ZHDf2dTo do that, we first needed to collect certain items from Green Zone.EzYHXs
PT6Nq“Let’s split up and search.”Ikzdh
wWYhWe also had to find Mo Haein, so we needed to move even faster than planned.d3OP
KkuXjmI explained to Kwak Hanmuk which items we needed and where to find them.olynsZ
rKPWhile listening to the list, he raised an eyebrow when he reached a certain item.NpNqmnk
IsV6“That one is the most important.”pIw
zR9iLZHonestly, even I admitted it sounded strange if you didn’t know the context.cO1M5G
XYPWOABut it was a crucial item for reaching the True Ending.kv3N
uTxOi“I’m counting on you.”YVbjn7r
Wp6n“Sure. If my hyung orders it, I’ll have to do it.”CuO
bulOI“…Just call me Goyo.”nlz
PaEY“If Goyo asks, then I’ll have to do it.”uiS0
VgoTv2“Yes…”sZHRfI
CncKwak Hanmuk would handle searching the elementary school that served as the survivor shelter.lu5Tp
MFz5luI would investigate the television station located within Green Zone.UHdz
JrEvVIt wasn’t too far from the school, so I could go alone without any problems.s4l
GDqpBesides, Green Zone was relatively safe.2c7Q
DXTFAfter sending Kwak Hanmuk toward the school carrying the backpack and duffel bag, I headed for the station.zevJ3
Z0EThe city wasn’t very large.qpd58WP
rmndThe broadcasting station building was also fairly modest.6rsk
cB6uIf not for the enormous transmission tower rising above the roof, I never would have guessed it was a television station.2KBJzlo
8ecfVThe typical atmosphere of an abandoned building mixed with the darkness of the night was unsettling.qwirGwg
zqsKIAbI quickly entered.Duy
hNL9r0Ding.ggiJ
2N9sk4A system window appeared before my eyes.7B2n6Nd
JYdf◆ Main Mission…rmJcr8r
LF3TBut it didn’t finish appearing.Jhx
9IPWUWhat was this now?SkZvf
vJ4wSXI waited for a moment for the system window to finish displaying.ueBrS
lr3xThe box kept appearing and disappearing, flickering as though two invisible forces were competing against one another.3vsKj
QXF5KHThen, suddenly, the window exploded onto the screen.kviOZz
e4qvfKg★ Event Mission: Exciting Television Station Exploration!SIs
vPEgYou have visited a television station!MWW
b3B9J1tThe television station is a subordinate of ■■ ■■■! A tool of mass communication!v2Qs
X4EAmid the flood of infodemia, will you truly be a ■■ ■ with media literacy?RavWmds
6Lo■■ ■■■ will continue watching you!!qanVne
YOANpnt“…Didn’t the way it talks change?”q5cpQ
8TvInE2The content was strange too.fFp
DA428C‘So what’s the mission?’lrpj
eo9vIt seemed to simply be exploring the television station, but that was strange as well.Rrsg
eFrBecause that mission did not exist in Dead Zone Delivery.PWbw2K
ODS23leI liked discovering new elements that did not appear in the game, but this gave me a bad feeling.kqxFSH
iceuI decided to assume that the system window had suffered some temporary malfunction and ignored it.2zM
Pi4xjfMI didn’t have time to obsess over it.4M8F
nrLji9I needed to collect the item and find Mo Haein as soon as possible.59r
5l0Jz1The television station had not escaped the zombie disaster either.Mws
CryAQkThe interior was completely destroyed.DwPxC
lPcsI crossed the silent lobby and entered the hallway.dzFi
izoThe building was shrouded in darkness, without even moonlight entering through the windows.dBYuVUZ
hOVamgThe interior layout was complicated, but I knew it so well from passing through it countless times in the game that I had no difficulty navigating.rjHI
IG1es8Guided only by my flashlight, I advanced in search of the emergency stairs.aan
c1HkJust before turning a corner.xdcma8
RvrRdRF“Graaaargh!”OKsKgx
cXma9A zombie with torn flesh lunged at me.YCWI2yv
2XhUtSudden scares like that usually didn’t affect me very much.5eLuI
6NbGI gripped the baseball bat firmly and swung it calmly.orWJ
xPaSwcWhaam!0h2F
5mSThe zombie was sent flying by the blow.ZxSQ
hr0QSince it was a Green Zone zombie, even at night I could handle one without too much trouble.eDmVT1
RHFI left it writhing on the floor and continued searching for the stairs.JnGfeh
Fqp3C“…Hm.”puwHepH
fyLfzHowever, there was something strange near the emergency exit door.bZTd
xxlcNJOAlong the hallway stretched an endless row of green emergency exit signs featuring the classic pictogram of a running person.RyXi
RxMCSFBut the direction was strange.2aKA
VOQrY7FThey weren’t pointing toward the stairs.Erl
977yAThey were pointing in exactly the opposite direction.pjAUGCK
SqTUfThe scene felt unsettling, but I had no other choice.BAIohQr
lLPhuI moved forward against the directions indicated by the green pictograms.kYvSo3
PW76When I entered the emergency stairwell, the first thing that caught my attention was the strange floor numbering.rvEa
m6H9o⇧2⇩B1ePetP
QXvWFgeThe smiling face seemed to indicate that I was on the first floor.JMTMF1I
jEJjTMy destination was the live broadcast studio on the sixth floor.Sxd
gq8oQI climbed the stairs quickly and looked at the indicator again when I arrived.DoMeD
emv⇧99⇩50m04Dcj
VLW3Throughout the climb, it had displayed a smiling face.8EW
EHMBut on the sixth floor, it had changed to a crying face.16q
SkqAAnd on top of that, the next floor was marked as Floor 99.clcN1
5gCPDI stared at the sign carefully.nRXlm
B7f‘This wasn’t in the game either.’kZM
H3G4In the game, it was just a simple emergency exit.B3eO1
QaoQKsThose strange signs and smiling-face indicators didn’t exist.PGQ
mQhYAIt made sense.t2H
K6WMDZ1‘Because it’s a zombie game.’0o7rH
LcwThis didn’t fit a zombie setting.VGNZV9p
sUzkIt wasn’t something that should appear in Dead Zone Delivery.bsNg
DzqgoMaybe in Happy Smile Factory.JMk5lq
kRz3I tightened my grip on the bat and cracked open the stairwell door slightly.3uQt
Lo2HmzuMy flashlight illuminated the hallway beyond.crLjTEY
tvjHOCNothing seemed unusual.1L0MJ
gIZcI carefully stepped onto the sixth floor.M8T2X
vqOwAmong the three studios located there, I searched for the studio dedicated to news broadcasts.8tEY9
SUwOhMThe door was wide open.d1UO
tVjThe inside was a disaster.blsF
A64There were obvious signs of a hasty evacuation.Q23cie
9FgrFNews scripts were scattered across the floor, covered in dried bloodstains.NB0TtwI
kgTVcYcI stepped over a fallen television camera and headed toward the monitoring area.S2IdoiR
YUv4ejNI needed to find a backup USB drive among all those monitors.O7jLqM
ZWJyx3Just as I raised my flashlight.2MhB27
bv1DpvThe lights suddenly came on.luTcY1
2CAhcAnd a voice began to play.CVWd3W
RL4GjO“An unknown virus is appearing simultaneously throughout the country.”z6wsx
wyi7“The Center for Disease Control has reported that the infected exhibit high fevers, extreme aggression, and temporary deterioration of their cognitive abilities.”uJhCkTB
ZgOGiThe monitors had turned on by themselves.LFil7
JSRr3inThey were showing a news broadcast.RK9cl
LNim4QhI wasn’t surprised.tXiTJk
3iO9qThe exact same thing happened in the game to explain the background of Dead Zone Delivery’s world.MmvLe
SKCR“The government will announce specific response measures during an emergency conference scheduled for six o’clock this evening.”SR4
uYRf“We ask all citizens not to be misled by unverified information and to rely only on official announcements.”Pay
a99bYThe anchor’s voice sounded calm.gxBA4
HX1EaVbBut beneath that calmness was a faint tremor.kjuNy
N5fMYIt was fear.Gds
aVXoNFIt was terror.h3lX
KS0bThe screen changed.EpAcPC
hIh6And the anchor’s fears proved justified.vqo
ObIjjR“Citizens of the nation. We will now broadcast a national emergency order.”nJAev
E3VtHis voice now sounded closer to a desperate scream.oykmpa
OM4“The unidentified infection currently spreading throughout the country has exceeded all limits of control. The government hereby declares an immediate nationwide evacuation order effective from 18:00 hours… No! Help me! AAAAAAAH!”Abc
6TQvThe broadcast ended with both news anchors being devoured by zombies live on air.HE1M6
F2RNyIgnoring their screams, I found the USB drive inside a drawer.PK5
FlqI slipped it into my pocket.nKqSQN
jaMa8And just as I was about to leave the studio.Jdvez
ssplqEverything turned red.HUo7oo
zvU87AI looked at the monitors.gDhZ
tdI8Every single one displayed the exact same image.PXRZr57
oiyYA bright red breaking-news alert.ndg
RREiAoBreaking News!pNmS66
gQkFor a moment, I froze at the sight of that scarlet color.bhTWkJ
22A8sXKThen the screen changed.rtou
AmtlAnd a new image appeared.HYCjz
LmvyqmIt was me.3HGr9Qa
JVnfYWOMy own face appeared on the monitors.dFyoP4
g1bI looked slightly pale as I stared at the screen.VS1ngx
iAWCkSamra?IeM96
8tgTfIIt couldn’t be.NBw
7I8XPA9Samra couldn’t enter Trials.dLv0PF
259GAnd he couldn’t influence them either.zNm6Y0r
l3TJust as tension began to take hold of me.TNq5RO0
opc0MBOOOOM!Mzw2ueo
00nDhSaA deafening explosion shook the entire building.uObFo3
Jl3oI staggered but managed to keep my footing.NcvQ
1qFThe ceiling.28fTalZ
h68gIThe floor.SvC77T
unNEverything was covered in cracks.yFJ
iB1N5The monitors that had displayed those strange images moments earlier had been destroyed.YlFMvnW
a3yTheir screens were now filled with iridescent colors and visual static.WXPQi
YM8S‘The impact came from above.’1dA
wJ8I thought briefly.BgAHyO
nuKqZkThen I abandoned the shattered monitors and ran toward the emergency stairs.qGzv39
1lOiThe building could collapse at any moment.0Anz
tbIdBut instead of fleeing downward.6QpqL8
MhVjJvI went up.Msdb96
wINI8Jumping two and three steps at a time, I sprinted toward the rooftop.IsKicQ5
48wI was worried that something strange might happen because of that Floor 99 indicator.2JxmY
PsSf9But fortunately, I reached the rooftop without any problems.A2EZ
7KxOAUAlthough the floor numbering remained rather bizarre.DC5LI
sBp33zEI threw open the rooftop door.jUTl
OBJ‘…Damn.’KGyZS
TfNPThe sight that greeted me on the other side made the curse slip from my lips on its own.o4Q
3lfThe enormous transmission tower rising above the rooftop had been bent in half.88vLQ
swNIt was so twisted that it looked like a broken toy.0fVRNZ
xIjThe upper half had been driven directly into the rooftop floor.QbYiJ
YgBScfAnd someone was standing atop that bent tower.Bdn
uBMSomeone I should never encounter while alone.nRKSEkm
kPiGYou have encountered ‘Je Hyuno’!bVf
2xq5‘Je Hyuno’ is a registrable character.cEmRF
1rlDo you wish to register him?4pMkmed
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