Infected - Chapter 535



Only Krnovel

Side story episode 22

“What the heck is this… … .”

The commander-in-chief was unable to continue speaking.

This is the center of the safe zone where all troops are gathered.

Even though I’m standing high up and looking down on everything.

There was virtually nothing he controlled.

There is still a long way to go until the sun rises.

Speakers installed throughout the safety zone began to ring out simultaneously.

Wheeeeeeeeing!

It was a massive siren announcing the arrival of zombies.

When this sound was heard, residents were not allowed to come out of their houses, and all soldiers had to stand by armed.

This sound has only been heard twice so far.

The first was five years ago, when a terrible flu epidemic occurred and many people died.

The second time was when a soldier who died on duty bit a comrade and started spreading the disease.

It was an unexpected crisis for both of us, but we were able to overcome it thanks to acting as we had trained ourselves to do.

But today was different.

No one expected this kind of epidemic to occur.

Under the bright flares, zombies surge forward like waves, taking over the roads and streets.

The commander was speechless at the sight of those dark waves.

The unit commander standing behind was busy transmitting orders via radio.

Past meetings flashed through the commander’s mind.

The leadership at the time calculated several simulations to maintain security in the safe zone.

The large-scale epidemic that was discussed at that time.

The calculations concluded that once a mutation exceeds 10% of the population, it cannot be stopped.

It was especially disadvantageous if the time was ambitious.

In the first place, the safety zone was created by surrounding the city center with an outer wall.

You couldn’t help but be vulnerable to zombies running madly through the roads, alleys, and between buildings.

And now I was watching the results with my own two eyes.

Upon hearing the siren, soldiers abandon the gate and rush into the city center.

Gunshots were heard from all directions, mixed with the screams of soldiers.

There were flares floating around, but many areas were obscured by tall buildings.

The safety zone was collapsing.

“Commander-in-Chief… … .”

The commander who had given the order called him in a voice full of disappointment.

“Oh, what should I do?”

“… … .”

The commander was speechless as he watched the zombies growing in number.

Now it was no longer a question of maintaining power, but a question of survival.

“If we leave it like this, we’re finished!”

I had to think about it.

If I didn’t find a solution quickly, I might have to start all over again.

That was also the story of when he ran away to avoid the eyes of his enemies.

If the enemy appears as soon as the sun rises and lures the zombies out, they will enter the safe zone without bloodshed.

Everything that had been maintained for the past ten years was lost to the enemy in an instant.

“for a moment…….”

The commander tilted his head.

Enemies lure zombies out.

Lure, lure, lure.

A laughter escaped his lips.

The deputy commander who was watching eventually thought that he had gone mad.

“…Why didn’t I think of that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You just have to lure her.”

“yes?”

The commander-in-chief laughed like he had lost his mind.

“It’s such an obvious choice. If a large number of zombies appear, you just have to lure them outside. That’s how we’ve all survived since the beginning, but so much time has passed that we’ve forgotten.”

“Ah! Lure me out! Then what should I do?”

The smiling face of the commander-in-chief turned as hard as stone.

In an instant, he comes closer and glares at me as if he’s going to kill me.

“Don’t ask questions, figure it out yourself and give orders. That’s why I put you in the position of deputy commander, but look at what you’re doing now. You’re just asking questions like an idiot. Isn’t that something that not only you can do?”

“Sorry, sorry! I will launch a decoy operation immediately!”

The squad leader turned around and grabbed the radio.

First, the siren had to be turned off.

It would be impossible to lure them out just because of that noise.

After that, all troops from the safe zone had to be moved out of the collapsed outer wall.

There would be many deaths in the process, but there was no other way.

If we can just get outside, we can lure the zombies.

“no.”

The deputy commander, who was going down the stairs, stopped.

There was a risk that if we just withdrew our troops, we would be annihilated.

The important thing here is to lure the zombies, not fight them in open spaces.

“Ha, let’s think, think.”

The unit commander, who had been holding his pounding head, turned on the radio.

Chi-chik!

“This is the captain. Don’t turn off the siren.”

Then I blurted out the thoughts that were forming in my head in order.

“No shooting from now on. No sound other than the siren. The goal is to lure the zombies outside. Use all the available space, such as nearby buildings, basements, and rooftops. The troops around the gate can take the truck outside and wait. When the siren goes off, you should lure the zombies outside with gunfire. Go to the higher ground or the rooftop of a high building.”

The order spread like wildfire.

The gunfire that had been rumbling all around had died down to sporadic fire, and zombies were chasing the fleeing soldiers or latching onto the speakers.

The deputy commander, who was watching the situation from the middle floor terrace, closed his eyes tightly.

An unimaginable number of people were being swept away by zombies.

Each and every one of them was such a precious and valuable asset, but at the moment, this choice was the best.

Chijijik!

[Sir, the troops for the decoy operation have departed on trucks. Please give the following orders.]

“When they radio that they’re in position, tell them to turn off the siren and start the lure operation.”

[All right.]

The captain gritted his teeth and turned around.

It was because of what I heard from the commander-in-chief earlier.

Why didn’t I think of this from the beginning?

When something happened, it was routine to only look up to my superiors.

Because if they just conveyed the orders well when they were given, they could keep their positions.

I never thought that there was anything wrong with that in itself.

That was the position of deputy commander from the beginning.

Assisting the commander in chief and managing the troops so that they can move at any time.

“Okay. This is the best.”

The captain muttered as he went down the stairs.

But then footsteps were heard from a floor not far away.

He tilted his head and examined the gap in the handle.

Dozens of combat uniforms were quickly climbing the stairs.

It seemed like some of the troops were retreating, pushed back by zombies.

As he was going down the stairs with that thought in mind, he stopped.

After thinking about it carefully, there were no remaining troops around the building.

There was no reason for it to be there.

This is because everyone was busy blocking the gate and the outer wall.

By the time we realized that a horde of zombies had appeared, they had already devoured the area.

That’s when I had a gut feeling that something was strange.

The soldiers passing the landing made eye contact with him.

Familiar combat uniforms and unit marks.

The troops in the safe zone were hit.

“… … ?”

But what is the true nature of this sense of discomfort?

Not only was there no janggu at all, but the combat uniform and helmet were covered in blood that no one could identify.

“Stop. The commander is on the roof. Go back downstairs and go to the terrace… … .”

Chomp!

The moment you are about to give that order.

A cold blade swept across his neck.

“Ugh! Keuk!”

Blood spurting out like crazy from the torn wound.

The deputy commander took a step back, his eyes wide and ready to pop out.

I had to turn on the radio.

But the blood gushing out like a fountain made my eyes dizzy.

He slumps down, his back against the wall, his legs giving out.

“Cough! Cough, hooray!”

As the man with his throat slit passed by, a woman with her hair tied up and dozens of soldiers followed behind.

He was trying to say something while stretching out his arms.

A soldier with a face full of moles approached and brandished a broadsword.

Phew!

That was the end of it.

The deputy commander, who was struggling to survive, opened his eyes but had a hole in his head.

* * *

The commander-in-chief watched the situation while listening to the deputy commander’s voice coming from the radio.

After the screams of the soldiers who couldn’t escape in time, the only things left in the safe zone were zombies driven by the speakers.

Now, if we just start firing shots outside, it’ll be just a matter of time before they get away.

At that moment, the rooftop door opened wide.

thud!

Dozens of troops pour onto the rooftop, leaving behind a roughly slamming door.

Red blood drips from the dagger of Seonwoo, the soldier standing at the forefront.

“what?”

The commander-in-chief reacted sharply when he saw that sight.

No answer came back.

The platoon members standing in a long line grab their rifles.

That quiet action caused a spark to fly in the commander’s eyes.

“You little shits, don’t you get your mind off it! What are you trying to do!”

“Commander-in-Chief, we can win.”

“…what?”

He frowned at the voice that called my name so casually.

The voice was heard among the soldiers.

Then Gaon walked between Eugene and Seonwoo.

“female……?”

Commander-in-Chief Lee Gil-su was quite embarrassed.

Because there were no female soldiers in the safe zone.

In an instant, several scenarios flashed through my mind.

News about two men and women I first heard about last week.

The pursuit party returned half-crippled, and the advance company lost contact.

The conclusion he reached was.

“… You’re the one who planned this, Shadow.”

Gaon raised the corners of his lips slightly.

Then, with a leisurely expression, she walked back and forth in front of him.

“I’ll give you two choices. One is to cooperate. The other is to die here. If you cooperate, I’ll let you keep everything you have now.”

The commander-in-chief was amazed.

The fact that the shadow was a woman was absurd, but her youthful appearance, which made her look like she was barely twenty years old, was quite shocking.

“… What kind of person are you? You set up this board? How?”

Death was right before my eyes.

He said he would spare my life if I answered correctly, but that was just talk.

Maybe that’s why.

The commander-in-chief couldn’t stand to be curious about the process that had taken place.

“If I hear that, I’ll die here. Are you okay with that?”

“Aren’t you going to kill me anyway? If that’s the case, I don’t plan on dying nicely either.”

The moment the commander-in-chief reached for the pistol attached to his waist.

Gaon’s sharp eyes turned towards him.

“Think carefully. You only get one chance. I keep my word.”

But the commander never lowered his hand covering the pistol.

As soon as you pull out your pistol, you’ll be in a hive of bullets for your platoon members lined up in a row.

In the meantime.

Gaon, who had been lost in thought for a moment, nodded with a determined look on his face.

“Okay. You probably have a lot of questions. What’s going on? Why did Sanha suddenly invade the outpost? Are you curious?”

The commander’s face began to tremble.

Whatever.

Gaon continued speaking with a relaxed expression.

“We attacked the checkpoint in your area. We were wearing the same combat uniforms as you. Then they started fighting on their own.”

“This is crazy… … .”

“At this point, let me ask you a question. Why did I do that? What did I gain from it?”

The commander in chief was in no condition to answer.

Even the sound of my breathing was already trembling.

“You probably know that I came from Seoul, and you probably don’t need me to tell you who’s behind me. You probably heard about it through the spies you planted.”

“How do you… … .”

Anger turned to curiosity, then slowly turned to fear.

From the beginning, he wasn’t an opponent I could handle.

“I’ll tell you my plan now. I’m going to destroy this place. Of course, not today, but anyway, once you’re sorted out, I’m going to take over the safe zone under the mountain in one go. So, it can’t end this easily. I’m going to make both sides fight until they’re tattered.”

“Weren’t you on the same side as Sanha?”

Gaon chuckled.

“I don’t trust people. I trust situations. Even though this is a temporary alliance, if we eliminate you, the enemy, there’s no telling how the mountains and rivers will change. So keep fighting until you don’t have the strength to do so. That’s all you have to do.”

“Then, what is the way I can survive that I mentioned earlier?”

“Cooperate with me. But… … .”

Gaon shook his head.

“It’s already over.”

“…what?”

“You heard something you shouldn’t have heard.”

“Now, just a moment. You can keep your mouth shut if you want.”

A face distorted by a burn. A sharp impression with long hair.

There was a look of cowardice in the eyes of the commander-in-chief.

“I told you, I don’t trust people.”

bang!

With a single gunshot, the commander fell down with his eyes open.

Infected people