1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 9



Only Krnovel

Episode 9

Thinking that there might be another way, I drove north.

Even if Seoul is locked down, it would be impossible to cover this wide area.

But that hope was dashed miserably less than an hour after departure.

“It’s blocked. I can’t go any further.”

Bridges across the Namhan River were completely destroyed by bombing, and roads north of the river were blocked by collapsed concrete and mudslide debris.

Of course, after that, countless infected people formed clusters.

Complete blockade.

Seoul was practically one giant hellhole that no human could enter.

I made a quiet U-turn without saying anything and returned to the area near Paldang Bridge where I had first arrived.

The sky is just starting to darken.

Having had no income today, we unpacked at an empty restaurant next to the highway.

Everyone seemed so exhausted that they had no energy to eat or rest.

“Take a breather.”

I stepped outside for a moment to allow the two of them to gather their thoughts.

The sun that had been hanging between the dark clouds disappeared and the world was plunged into complete darkness.

A cold chill is blowing.

While I was standing guard, I took out a portable gas stove from the car and cooked a simple meal.

Even though it was just a porridge made by boiling a 3-minute meal, it was still edible.

“Let’s eat first.”

“Ah! We should have helped you… … .”

“Okay. Eat it while it’s warm.”

If you think about it, aside from a few biscuits in the morning, I’ve been skipping meals all day.

The two people felt hungry belatedly and slowly sat down in front of the food.

We gathered around a pot in the middle and lost ourselves for a moment before starting to eat.

Clink, clank.

For a while all you can hear is the sound of chewing.

Private Oh Chan-il, who had been eating his food in silence, muttered while rubbing his reddened eyes.

“The world has become like this, but how can people still eat so well? It’s so funny… .”

Humans are inherently funny.

No matter how difficult or painful something you go through, as time passes, you feel hungry as if it were a lie.

So, even though you get angry at yourself for being hungry, you find yourself chewing food.

Hmm.

Corporal Oh Chan-il swallowed his snot and laughed in vain, perhaps thinking that it was absurd.

There was a brief silence as I explained my future plans to the two of them.

“I will find a way somehow. If you two return to Chungju, I will split the fuel and supplies in half.”

Even though we came this far together, I couldn’t bring myself to suggest that we go to Seoul together.

If these two wanted, I was willing to provide them with a new car to ride in and even share the remaining supplies.

But contrary to expectations, Private Oh Chan-il asked me while hiding his trembling expression.

“Is there really a way?”

“It’s not like there aren’t any. We’ll have to look for them in the future.”

“Then, the possibility is… … .”

“First of all, it won’t be 0%.”

We have been trained to survive by solving problems that seem impossible.

I can say this because I am confident that I will find a way, rather than being 0% certain.

Perhaps he was worried about his family, Private Oh Chan-il was looking anxious as he pondered the situation.

“Snake!”

But at that moment, Private Lee Hyeon-su, who had been silent since a while ago, suddenly raised his hand.

We were talking with serious faces, and without saying anything, we turned our heads.

“I have a good idea.”

“what?”

“We’re going down the river.”

Going down the river? At first, I frowned quietly, wondering what it meant.

Then, Private Lee Hyeon-su flapped his palms and arms vigorously with a very serious expression on his face.

“The river is right next to us. If you keep going down from Paldang Dam, you’ll soon reach Seoul.”

At that moment, Corporal Oh Chan-il and I let out a small exclamation without anyone saying anything first.

Yeah, Han River!

There are no traffic jams, infected people cannot even approach, and it is very accessible as it runs through the middle of Seoul.

The idea may seem out of the blue and a bit absurd, but it was not realistically impossible.

“Lee Hyun-soo, you… … .”

“lol.”

When we looked at him with surprised faces, Private Lee Hyeon-su smiled awkwardly as if he was embarrassed.

I thought he was just a weirdo with one screw missing, but as time went on, I realized he had a side that surprised people.

“We need to save the ship first, right?”

“A boat wouldn’t be that difficult.”

We quickly hit it off and started putting our heads together to come up with a concrete plan.

The cold air that had been swirling around just a moment ago had long since disappeared, as if it were a lie.

Hehe.

Coco, who was chewing gum in a corner, wagged her tail as if she was curious about the sight.

* * *

To move on the river, it is essential to have a motorized boat.

Luckily, our current location is near Yangpyeong, where water leisure activities are usually popular.

Private Lee Hyeon-su, who had ridden a banana boat when he was young, guided us to a store he knew.

“hmm.”

But our curious start was short-lived, as my group and I encountered our first obstacle.

“Why on earth am I here?”

“It was a place where business was good.”

“Are you joking?”

Even though the store was located in a quiet location, infected people were wandering around nearby.

Since at least four were visible to the naked eye, there was a high probability that there were more inside the building.

“Why can’t we just shoot them?”

“The risk is high.”

If it had been a situation where I could simply hit and run, I would have shot without hesitation.

But now, there is a process that requires taking the boat out of the warehouse and transporting it to the car.

It will take at least ten to fifteen minutes, and no gunshots should be fired during that time.

“We’ll have to fight here without guns.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“If it comes down to it, let’s just shoot and run away.”

Through multiple encounters, we have already learned the behavioral patterns of the infected.

I put down my bag with a blank expression and looked at Private Oh Chan-il and Private Lee Hyeon-su.

“You two, just mark the guys approaching from the side. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Lee Hyun-soo! You get ready and come out too!”

“Okay, okay, Sang-baem!”

If a complete stranger had stepped forward to take the vanguard, I would have been suspicious.

But the two followed along without complaint, perhaps because the attitude they had shown so far was effective.

My companions and I, armed with our weapons, emerged from the grass where we were hiding and slowly approached the store.

Woof woof!

As I gave the signal, Coco, who had been circling nearby, raised his front paw and started barking.

Kyaaaaah!

Then, as if they had been waiting, the guys who had been loitering around ran out of the building.

There are seven in total, including three more.

Fortunately, the number is smaller than expected.

I took a deep breath and gradually increased my speed, and soon I was running at a fast pace.

“Be careful!”

The two infected who were running at the front suddenly turned around as soon as they saw me.

Kyaaaaah!

With the power of me running and the power of the enemy running, I calmly take a stance and swing the buttstock.

Kwajik!

The bastard falls to the ground with a bone-shattering sound as the bullet hits the center of his face.

After dealing with one in an instant, I adjusted my posture to attack the next target.

“F*ck!”

But at that moment, Private Oh Chan-il jumped out next to me and stabbed another man with his bayonet.

However, the infected person whose abdomen had been penetrated did not care and resisted by flailing his whole body.

“Bow your head!”

As soon as Private Ohchan lowered his head, I swung the buttstock sideways again.

Kwajik!

At the same time, the guy who was struggling with his whole body fell to the floor with his bones broken.

“Aim for the chin!”

“Yes, yes!”

You need to break the head, not the abdomen.

A powerful dagger could easily destroy the brain by stabbing it under the chin.

“Here we go again!”

There is no time to even catch your breath.

The group of infected that had been following Coco suddenly changed their target and ran towards us.

“Take care of one!”

“Yes, Serpent!”

The three of us, including Private Lee Hyeon-su who arrived late, formed a formation and waited for them.

puck!

I kick the stomach of the first guy who runs towards me, knocking him down, and then calmly destroy his head.

Phew!

Corporal Lee Akmun also pushed the infected man who was running towards him away and stabbed him under the chin.

We skillfully coordinated our movements to deal with the remaining infected.

Kyaaaaah!

But unfortunately, the two guys who were running after us ran towards Private Lee Hyeon-su, not towards us.

“Kwaaak!”

“Hyunsoo!”

Private Lee Hyeon-su, who was unable to properly strengthen his ankles, fell down with a single scream.

“Keep your seat!”

If the formation collapses here, not only I but everyone here will be in danger.

I held back Private Oh Chun-il from leaving and ran to save Private Lee Hyeon-su.

Kyaaaaak!

Grab the hair of the infected person running towards you while screaming and turn them in the opposite direction.

Boom!

The guy whose neck was broken squirmed like a cockroach cut in half.

“You son of a bitch!”

Meanwhile, Private Lee Hyeon-su, who had been lying on the ground, kicks the abdomen of the infected person who had fallen on him.

Phew!

Kwajik!

Not missing that gap, I swing my butt again and finish off the second guy.

Huh, gasp!

Private Lee Hyeon-su, who almost died suddenly, got up in a hurry with a face that was on the verge of tears.

“He’s the last one!”

Meanwhile, the last one who had been following Coco came running from afar, staggering.

“Please lend me your greatsword.”

“Hey, over here!”

After receiving the greatsword from Private Lee Hyeon-su, I walked forward step by step and took up a stance.

Phew!

And without a moment’s hesitation, he throws his greatsword and hits the right eye of the man running towards him.

Crunch, crunch.

The infected person staggers forward as the blade reaches his brain, and soon falls down helplessly.

Only then did I let out the breath I had been holding and look around at the corpses and blood all around me.

“Are you both okay?”

“Ah, ahh! Yes!”

The two people who were sitting there with blank expressions are startled when asked if they are okay.

But that was only for a moment, as he soon came to his senses and got up from his seat.

“The sun will set soon. Let’s catch our breath for a moment, grab our boats and life jackets, and head out.”

Somehow, as time goes by, I feel like I’m encountering infected people more frequently.

Feeling that I didn’t have much time, I picked up my bag again.

As I was about to enter the store, Private Lee Hyeon-su approached me silently and stood right next to me.

“Excuse me, teacher.”

“yes?”

“Can I call you brother?”

“… …Suddenly?”

Up until now, I have been calling the two soldiers by their normal titles, like “sir” or “hey there.”

When he suddenly said he would call me brother, I thought, what kind of an outrageous thing is this?

“Please feel free to speak freely from now on.”

But I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when even Private Oh joined in with a serious expression on his face.

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“I just felt like that was the way it should be.”

“This seems right.”

Did they both get hit in the head while fighting? I seriously considered whether I should go to the hospital first.