Chapter 15

The system window, which had been behaving as though it were malfunctioning for quite some time, finally displayed a normal message.

It was like watching a broken television start working properly after being hit.

But this was not the time to calmly appreciate the system functioning correctly.

‘Why is Je Hyuno here?’

According to everything I knew, Je Hyuno should have been slaughtering zombies somewhere between Yellow Zone and Dead Zone.

He would never have any reason to set foot in a peaceful area like Green Zone.

I observed him with extreme caution.

He was dressed entirely in black from head to toe.

A fitted combat uniform and a deeply hooded sweatshirt.

His face was covered by protective goggles and a gas mask.

Under a night sky filled with stars, Je Hyuno stood looking upward.

With all that clothing covering him, it was impossible to read his expression or even his gaze.

Even so, as I looked at his profile, a strange thought crossed my mind.

He seemed to be waiting for something.

For a very long time.

‘Is he waiting for a meteor shower?’

The idea sounded absurd even to me.

The fact that I was thinking such nonsense in front of Je Hyuno only meant that I still wasn’t tense enough.

Suddenly, a system window appeared, blocking my vision.

You think that if you register ‘Je Hyuno,’ you will greatly improve as the System.

You also think that you might obtain a new skill.

I tried to ignore it out of habit.

Then the window appeared again with larger letters.

‘Je Hyuno’ is a ■■■ character for you, who are ■■.

He is ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■.

There were so many censored blocks that it was impossible to understand anything.

‘At this point, there’s no point in even displaying the message.’

And no matter how persistent it was, I had no intention of registering him.

In fact, it only irritated me more.

Do you wish to register ‘Je Hyuno’?

Do you wish to register ‘Je Hyuno’?

Do you wish to register ‘Je Hyuno’?

As I repeatedly dismissed the windows obstructing my view, a chill suddenly ran down my spine.

Our gazes met.

Well.

I wasn’t even sure I could call it that.

The protective goggles completely concealed his eyes.

To be precise, it was more the feeling that our gazes had crossed.

LEDs lit up on the smooth black goggles.

^ ^

A smiling face appeared where his eyes should have been.

Creeeeak.

The transmission tower beneath his boots emitted an ominous sound.

A shiver ran down my back.

And then.

I ran.

I ran like crazy.

With all my strength.

I practically tumbled down the emergency stairs.

I nearly fell several times, but I never slowed down.

If I fell down the stairs, there was at least a chance I would survive.

But if Je Hyuno caught me, I was dead for sure.

However, it soon became unnecessary to continue descending.

A black line appeared, cutting through the wall all the way to the floor.

When I saw that line dividing the floor indicator exactly in half, I barely managed to suppress a curse.

The line began to slowly open.

The building was splitting in two.

Its internal metal framework tore apart with a horrifying sound, like the scream of a dying creature.

Amid a cascade of shattered glass, I fell together with countless fragments of debris.

Dead Zone Delivery did not have extra lives like Happy Smile Factory.

Dying without becoming a zombie meant real death.

But I didn’t want to die like this.

Dozens of thoughts flashed through my mind and vanished in an instant.

Just as I felt my eyes burning, something wrapped around my waist.

Then I heard a thunderous shout.

“Han Goyo!!”

A rosary made of wooden beads yanked me violently away.

I barely escaped the falling debris.

My field of vision suddenly opened up.

I saw the television station building splitting vertically as it collapsed to both sides.

I saw Je Hyuno with a sharp crescent moon behind him.

And when I lowered my gaze.

I saw Kwak Hanmuk riding a classic motorcycle.

Just by looking at his expression, I could immediately tell how desperate the situation was.

Though, to be honest, I didn’t need to see his face to know that.

Craaaash!

The building finally collapsed completely.

The ground shook.

A massive cloud of dust and concrete fragments rose into the air, obscuring everything.

Meanwhile, the rosary returned to its owner.

And I landed in front of Kwak Hanmuk.

“Fuck! I thought you were going to die, Hyung Goyo!”

I was greeted by a rather passionate string of curses.

And since I was just as happy to see him, I didn’t bother correcting the “Hyung.”

The situation was so extreme that it almost felt like the perfect moment for an emotional hug.

But suddenly, Kwak Hanmuk’s expression hardened.

“Goyo… your eyes…”

“Yes?”

“…Nothing. First, we need to get the hell out of here.”

I immediately climbed onto the back seat of the motorcycle.

However, Kwak Hanmuk didn’t start it.

He narrowed his eyes and stared at the cloud of dust that was beginning to dissipate.

The engine emitted a peculiar roar, resembling the sound of hooves striking the ground.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Amid the dust and the roar of the engine, slow footsteps began to echo.

“Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno.”

Kwak Hanmuk called out to him with a voice full of caution, as though he were facing a wild beast.

He received no answer.

Instead, repeated sounds of metal clashing against metal began to ring out.

Then Je Hyuno emerged from the cloud of dust.

The moonlight fully revealed one of his black arms.

It was an arm mutated by the BT-Z virus infection, formed from a metal that did not exist on Earth.

Where his fingers should have been, there were metallic claws resembling those of a beast.

Je Hyuno let both arms hang at his sides and stopped, silently watching us.

Kwak Hanmuk spoke while remaining ready to launch an attack at any moment.

“Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno, what the hell is wrong with you? You already destroyed an entire building, so I assume you’ve regained your senses by now.”

Despite the respectful tone, the amount of profanity was considerable.

The lights on Je Hyuno’s goggles lit up.

ㅠ ㅠ

A crying emoticon appeared on his goggles.

Then he slowly raised one hand.

His finger pointed at something without the slightest tremor.

At me.

Kwak Hanmuk let out an incredulous laugh.

“For an initiation ceremony for a rookie, Goyo is still…”

The engine’s roar suddenly exploded.

The motorcycle shot forward.

“…still a complete Gunbam!”

I had no idea what connection there was between Gunbam and an initiation ceremony.

But whatever the reason, Kwak Hanmuk and I quickly put distance between ourselves and the wreckage.

Neither of us felt relieved.

“Goyo, did you do something to Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno?”

“Of course not…”

I told him everything that had happened.

Though honestly, there wasn’t much to explain.

‘I ran the moment I saw him.’

I knew perfectly well how dangerous he was, so I fled as fast as I could.

And yet he had still chosen me as his target.

“What if the infection has already reached his brain?”

“He’s perfectly sane.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you see the lights on his goggles? He’s not crazy. He just feels like causing trouble.”

Kwak Hanmuk cursed him once again.

‘So when the lights on his goggles are on, it means he’s still rational.’

I carefully committed that information to memory.

“Attacking Compatibles isn’t anything new, but he’s never caused a disaster this big before.”

Kwak Hanmuk muttered that Je Hyuno had already been acting strangely ever since he had spent ten days alone inside Dead Zone Delivery.

“Fuck.”

He suddenly cursed again.

Every zombie in Green Zone was chasing the sound of the motorcycle.

The collapse of the station had produced a massive noise that echoed throughout the area.

The zombies of Dead Zone Delivery had impaired sight and smell.

They reacted only to sound.

That was why they had all gathered there.

It was nighttime, and their physical abilities had increased.

Even so, they weren’t Dead Zombies.

The motorcycle was more than enough to leave them behind.

The problem was the bridge.

Once we crossed it, we would reach Yellow Zone.

However, the area between zones allowed Yellow Zone zombies to wander through as well.

And the zombies that had heard the collapse were now completely blocking the bridge.

There were zombies ahead.

Behind us were zombies and Je Hyuno.

Both options were terrible.

But if I had to choose, I would rather face the zombies.

Even so, the sight was so overwhelming that I felt cold sweat soaking my back.

The moon shone especially brightly that night.

Hundreds of rotting bodies shuffled across the asphalt.

The zombies completely covered the bridge.

Running with grotesque movements toward the only sound they could hear.

Toward us.

Chrrrr.

The sound of small beads clattering echoed out.

Dozens of rosaries shot out from Kwak Hanmuk and lashed in every direction.

The zombies exploded when struck, as though hit by whips.

Even the tougher ones were sent flying into the river.

It looked like we could deal with the zombies without too much trouble.