Infected - Chapter 536
Only Krnovel
Side story episode 23
Kwaaah! Uwaaaah!
Under the loud siren sound.
Zombies that fill the streets blackly stretch their arms toward the speakers.
It was a time when the blood stains on his combat uniform had not yet dried.
As the sun slowly rose, the dark sky began to turn blue.
As the horrors of the streets became fully apparent, the wailing sirens suddenly stopped.
The zombies lost their stimulation and looked around.
People who had been alive and moving until just a short time ago were now zombies who just wandered around dumbly without any stimulation.
At that time.
Taang!
Gunshots were heard from far away in the eastern sky.
Two feet, three feet, four feet.
The zombies’ gazes turned to the east at the sound of gunshots ringing out at intervals.
and…….
A massive horde of zombies headed toward the eastern gate, accompanied by a horrifying chorus that sounded like boiling phlegm.
In front of the gate that is wide open to the left and right.
In the surrounding buildings, soldiers who had stayed up all night watching their comrades die held their breath.
Taang! Taang!
As the gunfire continued, the zombies’ reactions became more and more intense.
After a while.
Around the gate, only a few zombies remained, pushed and knocked down.
From those with their necks twisted, to those with arms missing, or those with their bodies split in two.
The soldiers could not bring themselves to approach him because his appearance was so gruesome.
This is because they were colleagues who used to go back and forth to their parents’ house together until dawn.
The unit leaders, having confirmed that all the zombies have disappeared, run out into the street.
Then, the hidden troops began to appear one after another.
From now on, we had to deal with the remaining zombies and rescue the isolated troops.
“No shooting! Use melee weapons!”
The orders of the commanders resonate everywhere.
Upon hearing that sound, zombies ran out from the alley and between the buildings.
Pok! Pok!
The sound of bones and flesh being penetrated continues.
The zombies that couldn’t get out in time were annihilated like that.
Taang! Taang!
Meanwhile, gunshots continued to be heard in the eastern sky.
Commanders are gathering at the gate one after another.
But none of them knew whether the commander-in-chief was alive or dead.
Although they couldn’t say it out loud, everyone couldn’t hide their feelings of anxiety.
The funny thing is that in this situation, the leadership is nowhere to be seen.
He must be hiding somewhere right now, watching the situation unfold.
One of the commanders stepped forward, carrying the gun.
“I can’t confirm whether the commander is alive or dead. I will take charge of the field command, and the remaining unit commanders can continue to supply ammunition and communicate with the isolated troops.”
That was when.
“Captain!”
A soldier covered in black blood came running hurriedly.
“what’s the matter?”
“To the Commander-in-Chief… … .”
“Did you find the commander-in-chief?”
“Yes. I found it. But… … .”
“Tell me quickly! Where are you now?”
The soldier squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and pointed to a tall building in the center of the safe zone.
The commanders’ eyes all turned there.
But the commander-in-chief was nowhere to be seen.
The gaze that had been scanning the area around the building moves up the wall.
When I reached the rooftop, past the exterior that was a mess with all kinds of stains and dirt.
Only then were the commander and soldiers able to discover the commander-in-chief.
The commander-in-chief was hanging upside down.
Under the clear sky, a long rope was lowered from the rooftop and connected to the commander’s leg.
The captain’s hand holding the telescope trembles.
Red blood dripped down drop by drop from the commander’s head, which had turned white as he hung upside down.
The soldier said with a sad face.
“The enemies… It appears that the enemies have infiltrated the building. The bodies of several company commanders and platoon leaders were found inside the building.”
As soon as the news was delivered, the morale of the troops was greatly reduced.
Although he was a commander-in-chief who was pushed down in the hierarchy, he was an absolute figure in the military.
Because he was the one who created today’s army.
Of course, it had to be shocking.
The commanders approached the unit commander carrying the rifle.
He kept his eyes closed and didn’t move at all.
“The position of Commander-in-Chief is vacant. Please lead us from now on.”
Being a leader is more important than people realize.
Even if he doesn’t have much presence in normal times, when a crisis arises, each word he says has tremendous power.
Therefore, the absence of a leader is bound to lead to chaos.
The military leadership needed to find a successor as soon as possible.
Only then could we gather the scattered spirits and protect the safety zone.
At this time, the qualifications of the former commander-in-chief were being questioned.
It might actually be a good opportunity if someone steps forward and cleans up the mess.
He opened his closed eyes.
“Understood. I will succeed the Commander-in-Chief.”
The faces of the commanding officers brightened upon hearing the decision.
“Send the soldiers to collect the body first. We will finish the job and come back to hold the funeral.”
“Yes. You thought it through well.”
“The rest of the units, gather outside the gate as soon as maintenance is complete. We need to deal with the zombies and start repairing the safe zone.”
“All right.”
Then he pointed to one of the commanders.
“You go this way and find the leadership and solve the food problem. Since the commander-in-chief has passed away, this problem is out of our jurisdiction.”
“yes!”
Although it was sudden, once the leader was decided, everything progressed smoothly.
After a while.
Tens of thousands of troops gathered in front of the gate began to advance with solemn expressions on their faces.
It was to rescue the isolated allies who were luring the zombies.
The problem was that military supplies were running low.
The stockpiled supplies were quickly depleted by several major battles.
The original plan was to go to a nearby military base and replenish the supplies.
Everything went wrong when Sanha suddenly attacked.
Now that we’ve dealt with the zombies, the bullets will be the first to drop.
The newly appointed commander-in-chief had a lot on his mind.
They declared that they would rescue isolated allies and repair the safe zone, but what mattered was outside, not inside.
We couldn’t just sit back and do nothing when we didn’t know when the enemies would attack again.
Although they still had the numerical advantage, war was not fought by numbers.
In front of an open intersection.
The zombie horde collapsed like reeds under a hail of bullets.
The isolated allies also helped by shooting outside the windows.
In this way, the street regained its original silence.
The isolated troops also joined the main force in quiet silence and gloom.
“Commander-in-Chief, we’re all joined. May we return to the safe zone now?”
The new commander looked at the huge amount of bullet casings rolling on the floor and was lost in thought.
I had no idea whether I should attack Sanha and subdue him, or go back and resolve the internal issues first.
The thing that bothered me the most was that the enemies had lost nothing.
Therefore, it is a situation where they can attack again at any time.
If we were to attack blindly, we didn’t know enough about the enemy.
The opponent acts as if he has the governor’s safety zone in the palm of his hand.
Maybe it’s still hiding somewhere, watching.
The eyes of the commander-in-chief who was scanning the surroundings were distorted in a complex manner.
“Commander-in-Chief?”
“…let’s go back.”
“All right.”
That was when.
The bodies of the soldiers who were tearing off the military tags from the corpses of zombies piled up at the intersection swayed from side to side.
Then, flesh burst out and drops of blood rose into the air.
It was a shooting.
The commander’s gaze turned to the soldiers falling one after another.
‘already……?’
I thought they would be in repair after a long night of fighting.
The enemies attacked again without giving us any opening.
“Commander-in-Chief! Enemies are coming from three directions!”
“Retreat immediately!”
“All right!”
The only way was to retreat.
If the enemy had anticipated this, a quick retreat would have been best.
If we waste any more time here, we won’t even be able to pick up the bones.
The surprise attack was short-lived.
The soldiers began to retreat in unison following their commander’s orders.
Meanwhile, casualties continued to rise.
Passing through the countryside, we head towards the safety zone established in the city center in the distance.
Enemy bullets continued to fly.
Not only the commander-in-chief, but all the commanders were amazed by the tenacity and persistence of the enemies.
The will to kill at least one more person was clearly expressed in the gunshot.
As soon as the soldiers reached the gate, they all ran inside without saying who would go first.
The troops of the mountains and rivers that were always thought to be at our feet.
It didn’t even take a day for them to become objects of fear.
The commanders didn’t even know where the enemy’s pursuit stopped.
When I actually arrived, I couldn’t remember when the gunfire stopped.
It was such a frantic retreat.
The commander’s face was filled with deep thought.
To go rescue the isolated troops and end up making even greater sacrifices.
No matter how much I thought about it, the only thing that came to mind was that I was playing into the hands of my enemies.
Now there is only one choice.
At the same time as repairing the collapsed outer wall and interior, a transport team had to be dispatched to find the military unit.
There was no guarantee what would happen if supplies were not secured as soon as possible.
No matter how excellent the enemy is, they will not know the details of the internal situation.
The situation was so urgent that there was no thought of holding a funeral for the former commander-in-chief.
“Send a transport party and have them find the military base first. We won’t be able to last even a day like this.”
“All right.”
The commander let out a faint sigh as he watched the commanders running busily.
* * *
On the other hand, the safe zone under the mountain had a festive atmosphere.
Everything went as Gaon had expected, and the enemy did not deviate from that plan at all.
A perfect victory beyond great victory.
With this operation, Gaon was able to silence all the noises that had been erupting from various places.
It was shown through actions, not words.
Naturally, Sanha’s mouth was wide open.
Even his close associates had never realized that he could smile like that.
Sanha, who was listening to the soldiers’ cheers, spoke to Gaon.
“Thank you for your hard work. I really don’t know how I can repay this favor… … .”
Gaon just smiled faintly and didn’t say anything.
Of course, it’s true that everything came from Gaon’s head.
However, it was the military under his command that made it happen.
But among those cheering in front of me, no one thought that way.
Everything is thanks to Gaon.
That’s what I was thinking.
Without even realizing that this was part of her plan.
“What are you going to do now? From what I see, it seems like we can just push on like this.”
Gaon shook his head.
“Even a mouse will bite a cat when cornered. Now is not the time to pressure it, but to give it breathing room.”
“If we do that and they regain stability, wouldn’t it be disadvantageous?”
“If you leave them alone, they’ll come out on their own. They’re low on food and they probably used up a lot of bullets from fighting zombies all night.”
“ah…….”
Gaon continued speaking, staring outside the safe zone.
“Just watch it like this and cut it off whenever it comes out. Then it will collapse from the inside first. Then you won’t have to bleed so much. The helplessness of not being able to do anything. Sometimes that’s scarier than a bullet.”
“Ha, the more I know, the scarier it gets. Just thinking about what it would have been like if we had met as enemies makes me dizzy.”
“That won’t happen, so just trust me and go. This is all for the sake of Sanha and the people here. Don’t forget that Seoul is standing behind you.”
“I understand. I may seem incompetent, but the truth is, I have no other choice. I also know that you came here knowing that. So please continue to take good care of me.”
Just one operation, and the enemy is damaged beyond repair.
All these figures completely changed people’s attitudes towards Gaon.
It took less than a few days for him to be at the governor’s feet, holding him in the palm of his hand.
Does the mountain know?
From the beginning, Gaon’s purpose was absorption, not alliance.
It is better to absorb them than to maintain complex relationships by forming alliances with nearby forces.
Gaon thought so.
It was the moment when Zhang Liming was reflected in her eyes.
Infected people