1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 8



Only Krnovel

Episode 8

What I was afraid of happened.

A compact car that had been driving on the road for a while suddenly broke apart as it entered Yangpyeong.

Fortunately, it started up after a few steps, but this was only a stopgap measure.

We had no choice but to enter the nearest rural village in Yangpyeong, Gangsang-myeon.

Crunch!

You never know when or where an infected person might emerge.

Private Oh Chan-il and I thoroughly searched the area around the village with our guns loaded with live ammunition.

“… … It’s quiet.”

But contrary to my worries, the surroundings were so quiet that I couldn’t even see a single ant.

Judging by the traces of hasty departure left here and there, it seems that all the residents evacuated early.

Only after I confirmed that there were no infected people did I lower the gun I was holding.

“Let’s look at the car first.”

“Ah! Yes.”

I just happened to come across a small industrial complex at the entrance to the town.

Back in the car, we drove the creaky little car to the old factory.

Squeak, clank!

The interior was shabby and dusty, as if the owner had hurriedly locked the door and evacuated.

Fortunately, all the equipment and parts needed to service the vehicle were in the store.

“This is enough.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Hey, this is nothing.”

Private Lee Hyeon-su, smiling brightly, opened the hood of a compact car and began to inspect the vehicle’s condition.

It was not a lie that he knew how to do maintenance, his dexterity was very skillful.

I looked at the sight with curiosity and quietly asked Private Oh Chan-il, who was sitting next to me.

“Was Hyun-soo’s original position a maintenance soldier?”

“He was very famous in the unit. His usual job was to torture people, but he would fix anything that seemed like a real machine. No wonder the patrol officer looked for him after roll call.”

I didn’t graduate from any related university, nor was my military position a vehicle mechanic.

I wonder if maybe it’s not something he was born with since he just learned it from someone else’s knowledge.

I almost regretted it if I had just left it at the mart. I quietly muttered to myself.

“Let’s go too.”

“Oh, yes.”

Meanwhile, Private First Class Oh Chan-il, who had packed his military bag and plastic box, finished preparing to go out.

When I came to my senses, I also packed my bag and box and loaded my gun.

“If you go out alone like last time, you’ll die, really.”

“Don’t worry, Serpent! This time I’ll be waiting like a dead rat.”

The industrial complex is surrounded by sturdy iron bars, and the entrance is also made of iron gates.

At this point, as long as Private Lee Hyeon-su doesn’t come out first, we should be able to stay safe.

After finishing preparing to leave, Private Oh Hyeon-sik and I started walking back toward the village.

Thud, thud.

Even though it was broad daylight, the world was dark and an unpleasant sleet was falling from the sky.

We walked to the supermarket in as much silence as possible in the unusually eerie atmosphere.

Clang!

It looked like any other regular supermarket, except that the door was locked.

We broke the glass window and went inside, and the first thing we did was open the display refrigerator door.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I want cola.”

I drink cola, and Private Oh Chan-il takes out a strange drink that smells like pine and we drink it together.

We emptied the contents in an instant and let out exclamations as if we had made a promise.

Wow, this is the taste of the secular world.

I just drank a can of cola, and I feel like the tension that had been building up around my shoulders has melted away.

“What should I pack first?”

“There will be biscuit products among the sweets.”

Food should be mainly biscuits and dried foods that are high in calories and have a long shelf life.

Because the weight I could carry was limited, I had no choice but to give up taste and preference.

“Then, by any chance, cigarettes… … .”

“Take care of it.”

Everyone in the group is a smoker, and cigarettes and other comfort foods are good for bartering.

Since it wouldn’t hurt to carry it around, I gladly agreed and handed him a small bag.

“Hehehe, thank you.”

Private Oh Chan-il, who seemed to be a smoker, smiled happily and packed a pack of cigarettes.

Next to me, Coco is wagging her tail while chewing on dog gum for the first time in a long time.

Jiik!

I filled both my sacks with food and filled the boxes I brought with me with drinking water.

This is enough for two weeks? No, if you eat sparingly, you could probably eat it for a month.

After I had gathered all the supplies, I looked at Private Oh Chan-il, who was carrying drinking water for a long time.

“Isn’t that annoying?”

“yes?”

“It’s a gas mask bag.”

The gas mask bag that has to be worn on the side is quite annoying when you have to use your hands.

But on lunch days and days like that, Lee Hyun-soo was particularly careful about wearing gas masks.

“Ah… … This has become a habit.”

“Aren’t you distributing it well?”

“No. This bag is old, but the gas mask is new. We replaced it all when rumors started going around that the virus was transmitted through the air.”

“It probably wasn’t airborne.”

“The propagation speed wasn’t that abnormal. They didn’t know because they were desperately trying to hide it from above. The forward units were in real chaos.”

Private Ohchanil still clutched his bag with a hazy face as if he was remembering that time.

It was a casual question, but it somehow brought back some bad memories for him.

Bam!

After a long period of silence, Coco, who had been chewing gum, suddenly wakes up.

Surprised by this, Private Oh Chan-il hurriedly took out his gun and aimed it at the entrance of the supermarket.

“Are they guys?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

It wags its tail instead of barking.

It was a completely different feeling from when I usually smelled and reacted to an infected person.

We hurriedly packed our bags and walked outside, following Coco, who was wagging her tail.

“- – – – – – -!!”

At that moment, a noise that was clearly thought to be a helicopter rotor was heard from beyond the mountain.

As I turned my gaze to follow the sound, a helicopter appeared in the middle of the gray sky.

It’s not just one.

Several transport helicopters, including Chinooks, quickly pass overhead.

“Hey! Over here! Over here!”

On the lunch day, Private Oh instinctively waved his hand to signal for help toward the helicopter.

“… … ?”

But it’s strange.

The helicopter that had clearly spotted us only slowed down and did not lower its altitude.

Feeling a chill for a moment, I instinctively grabbed the lunch sergeant and lay down on the floor.

Doo doo doo doo – – -!!

Pavababak!

At that moment, machine gun fire from a Chinook helicopter passes through the wall.

We dodged the bullet by almost half a second and fell face down, covered in concrete dust.

Huh, gasp.

The helicopter we thought had been shot down quickly flies away from here.

Private Oh Chan-il, who was suddenly on the verge of death, was breathing heavily and swearing.

“Hey, you guys are crazy!”

“I guess they thought I was infected.”

“Do you shoot people for no reason?!”

Even if you ask me, I don’t know.

Usually, such retaliatory fire comes from orders from above or from the shooter’s experience.

Since the helicopter came from the west, this must be a common sight in Seoul.

Maybe there is no time.

My head had cleared from the gunshots a moment ago, so I picked up the bags and boxes that had fallen to the floor.

“Let’s go back for now.”

“… … Are you usually that calm?”

“You’ll get used to it soon.”

Corporal Oh Chan-il, who had been absent-minded for a moment, soon followed me and started to pack his bag.

After securing all the necessary supplies, we returned to the industrial complex where Private Lee Hyeon-su was.

* * *

The old compact car, which looked like it would fall apart at any moment, was reborn with a clean look.

Sure, all I did was replace a few parts and some tires, but that was enough.

We loaded up our trunks and bodies with supplies and headed west again.

“Can you catch the radio by any chance?”

“No. It’s all an evacuation broadcast.”

Contrary to my worries, the national highway running along the Namhan River was peaceful and free of traffic.

But the closer I got to Seoul, the more I became bothered by the strangely eerie atmosphere.

This feeling is usually not wrong.

I focused on driving, but quietly watched the road, not knowing what might pop up.

“Me, by the way. A snake.”

“What, what are you kid again?”

“But where do we go from here?”

Come to think of it, I was only thinking about going to Seoul, but I hadn’t decided where to start.

But on lunch day, Private First Class Lee Hyeon-su said as if it was a given, patting his head.

“Don’t you have a conscience? Of course you should put the teacher first.”

“Oh, that’s true.”

“By the way, where do you live?”

When asked where I lived, my expression hardened and I looked at the passenger seat.

There, Coco, who had been wagging her tail, was sticking her tongue out as if asking why I was looking at her.

for a moment.

Where was your sister’s house?

My mind went blank for a moment, and I tried my best to remember.

It’s been a year since I last contacted my sister, and it’s already been over six years since I last saw her.

At that time, Yebin was a middle school student, so by now she would have already gone to college.

Come to think of it, I don’t even know if he still lives in Mokdong or which university he goes to.

“Huh? You don’t know?”

“Hey, Sang-baem! Don’t treat me like a weirdo! Do you not know my home address?”

“but.”

The duo of soldiers in the backseat are busy talking amongst themselves, not knowing whether they know my feelings or not.

I held the steering wheel as relaxed as possible and tried to find my cell phone in my bag.

Growl!

But at that moment, Coco, who had been sitting silently, suddenly began to react violently.

“Coco?”

“What, what is it?”

Suddenly startled, I hurriedly slowed down and parked my car on the shoulder nearby.

The duo of soldiers, now instinctively holding their guns, looked around hurriedly, lost in thought.

“Them again?”

“I think I smelled something.”

First of all, it doesn’t seem to be barking, so I took it from a distance, not close by.

I opened the door for Coco to get out, then grabbed my gun and bag and got out of the car.

Squeak… … .

But instead of following the scent, Coco suddenly curled her tail around somewhere nearby.

I was taken aback by this reaction, which I had never seen before, and followed his gaze to the other side of the river.

“What is that…?”

Paldang Bridge has collapsed.

No, not only the bridge, but the road, the building, everything was buried in rubble and turned into ruins.

But what was more shocking was the huge crowd gathered in front of the ruins.

A crowd of hundreds of thousands of people, flowing like a river, wandering around as if searching for something.

The owners of the colony were the infected, who were constantly prowling around in search of food.

haha.

Private Oh Chan-il, who burst into laughter, sat down in his seat and lowered his head.

I expressed all the emotions I was feeling right now by smoking a cigarette without saying a word.

Humanity has reached its end after prosperity.

It was a single bullet of fear that left only a short word in our heads.

end.