Chapter 144 – Winter (1)
If it can’t be done, make it happen.
This is a representative phrase that comes to mind when thinking of the military.
However, this does not mean that something that is clearly impossible should be achieved.
You can do it, but if you have to pay a price in the process, it means paying it without any fuss. Whether it’s big or inefficient.
In times of peace, the price is nothing more than a hit-and-run, but in times of war, you have to risk your life.
In the devastated Republic of Korea, the spirit of making something happen if it can’t be done is being revived once again.
Buaaaaang!
A boat splits the seawater with a loud sound.
“Is this really safe?”
The guide holding the steering wheel asked.
“This is an order from the command to scout the inland area, whether it is safe or dangerous. “If you run along the coast, even giant monsters won’t be able to approach.”
The officer answered.
“The West Sea is shallow, so I don’t think you’ll be able to come up if you stick close…”
Before the war, guides made a living by ferrying tourists on private boats. Thanks to this, everyone at the survivor camp called him Guide.
In the past, I would have politely asked to be called ‘CEO’, but now I introduce myself first as a guide.
This is because after the world was ruined, he was able to be treated as a useful being thanks to his nickname.
When the elites with lawyer and accountant licenses were starving, having a nickname like this meant that one ration voucher was lost.
This time, I received a driving request in exchange for as many as seven.
“If you don’t like it, you can return the ration voucher and return the boat. We must also compensate for the waste of our time and oil.”
“Oh, no!”
Seeing the officer’s emotionless gaze, the guide gripped the control stick even harder.
An invisible threat lurks in the west. Monsters that might appear from beyond the horizon.
To the east, a visible threat looms.
“Keeeeek!”
Walkers wandering around the sandy beach in various outfits, sometimes naked.
The reluctance to drive the boat as if walking a tightrope between two threats gave the guide goosebumps.
Crash.
But I wasn’t as scared as the soldiers checking their guns in the backseat.
‘Anything is fine, so look for clues about the forces inland. After doing both my job and my job, I looked for a place to search for supplies.’
According to the order they received, they loaded the drone on a boat, went up to the shore, and flew the drone from time to time to scout the nearby area. It was a simple yet efficient operation.
Rather, it was much more difficult to reach the West Sea from Goheung, so the spirit of ‘if it can’t be done, make it happen’ was necessary.
“Was the rumor true?”
“What do you mean?”
The guide asked, and the officer answered.
“The green zone.”
“Keep your gaze ahead.”
“Yes! Yes!”
The guide immediately looked ahead. I couldn’t come up with excuses like, ‘I’m afraid I’ll look cheap if I say it without looking at him…’
“Nothing has been confirmed. We have only just begun our first reconnaissance. If you’re curious, you can cooperate diligently with this mission.”
The officer smiled faintly. He seemed to be humorous in his own way, but thanks to his snake-like expression, it was just a creepy smile.
Green zone.
This is a rumor that has been spreading rapidly recently, especially in Goheung and Yeosu.
Although each person had a different name, the military and those influenced by the military called it the Green Zone.
Ruined cities, flooded cities, burned farmland, squirming forests, unfathomable swarms of infectious agents, radioactive pits.
Heaven is sleeping somewhere inland beyond the terrible obstacles.
The form of heaven varied depending on the imagination of the person who believed the rumor.
Air defense facilities built in secret by the political world were the first to protrude and the first to disappear.
If that is true, it makes no sense that the vast majority of politicians fled to Jeju Island.
Then, conspiracy theorists claimed that there was an air defense city built secretly by the US military in Korea.
Many people believed in the theory of underground cities created by conglomerates. Because it was a sufficiently possible scenario.
In fact, before the infection war, various types of air-raid shelter products in preparation for World War II were popular, and in some cases, group facilities recruited residents. There were quite a few companies and victims who took the money and then lost it.
Those who wanted to show off their more imaginative abilities claimed that there was a mysterious land that infectious agents could not access for some reason.
In addition, various rumors circulated, but because they disrupted order, each camp leader dismissed them as nothing more than nonsense.
However, a supply drop incident occurred in Yeosu not long ago. It has become a fact that there is an unidentified group inland.
We don’t know their location, purpose, or power, but we can’t just stay still.
Goheung conducted the most enthusiastic investigation among the survivor camps.
[We apologize for the unpleasant shooting down. It was a mistake made by a confused recruit.]
Although we constantly sent courtship messages, this unidentified group never responded.
The Goheung garrison, obsessed with legitimacy, authority, and a vision to present to the people, clung to the green zone.
Most camps devoted themselves to exploration with the intention of taking advantage of the winter cold to secure more supplies rather than an unknown force that was beyond their reach anyway.
* * *
“The external activity index increased by 480%?”
The increase in activity among southern survivors recorded in the report was enormous.
I did not consider the possibility that the numbers in the report were wrong.
If you have Artemis as your secretary, there is no need to check whether it is a mistake when a strange number is entered.
All you have to do is believe it and analyze the phenomenon as to why this number was recorded.
[It continues to increase. I heard you were running around like it was Black Friday? Much more hardcore, though.]
“I guess that’s right.”
The screen showed men wielding baseball bats, nail bats, and fire axes in a chaotic supermarket.
The walker’s head was split open, and his limbs were severed. Sometimes, even among the same people, bloody fights broke out.
A modified vehicle reminiscent of Mad Max’s Buzzard was also driving around.
A spicy Black Friday was unfolding, filled with violence, bloodshed, and looting.
The strength of the southern survivors was beyond imagination, and when the cold of winter began, their potential was revealed in earnest.
Like Americans in the Wild West, they set out to explore competitively.
Relying on all kinds of means of transportation, they infiltrated north and south to secure more supplies.
As a result, the number of dead and injured gradually increased, and some people were quarantined in animal pens due to suspicion of infection.
But it never stopped.
The central control room screen showed a walker wandering on a remote road.
[Keeeeek-!]
Walker shouted.
[Kiyooooot-!]
A person shouted.
Poop!
The golf club swung under the acceleration of the bike contained tremendous power.
A variety of riders followed behind the man who was cheering while holding up his blood-covered golf club.
In difficult times, the fuel efficiency, rough terrain, and maintainability of bikes were extremely attractive, so it was natural for a motorcycle unit to be born.
A gang of about 30 people who worked in the delivery industry came together and ran down the road. From expensive foreign bikes to entry-level models with company logos, there are even iron bags.
They all stopped in front of a commercial building in a remote place.
The leader of the raiding party touched the head of his golf club on the ground by the roadside. A familiar technique is to shove it into the soil, wipe off the blood, and then tap the weeds to loosen the soil.
[Now, everyone pay attention.]
The leader spoke in a low voice.
He placed the golf club head in front of him and checked it here and there.
[The order is medicine, daily necessities, and groceries. Personal loot is limited to one pouch. Be sure to confess if you were bitten. Did you see last time what happens if you hide it and get caught later?]
[Yes!]
While everyone was forming a circle with their thumbs and index fingers, a man who appeared to be a newcomer shouted loudly.
Empty!
He was hit on the head with a baseball bat. He used to wear a bike helmet, but his impact must have been significant.
[Fuck you, who told you to repeat while standing?]
[Sorry.]
The newbie hastily lowered his head.
“Standing?”
[Tell me about stopping while riding a two-wheeled vehicle.]
Artemis said.
“Oh, that’s what it was.”
It can’t be helped while moving, but it must be kept secret when stationary.
Except for the two who remained at the border station, the rest entered the building.
“The armament is pretty good.”
All of them were wearing helmets, and the front line members were wearing rider protective clothing, knee pads, and even carrying shields made out of iron plates.
All the personnel, who lacked protective gear, followed with long spears.
Although it was a turn-of-the-century scene, it was more sophisticated than other retro units that are being revived everywhere.
Every camp operated a bicycle unit, something you might have seen during World War II.
[Keeeeek-!]
The screen changes to show three men on a bicycle being chased by walkers. One is armed with a crossbow and two are armed with baseball bats.
[Aren’t those guys even tired!]
Because it was not a paved road, the speed of the bicycle was not fast, but it was not fast enough to be overtaken by walkers running on their feet.
[Ouch!]
However, one of them pedaled too hard on a rocky field and his chain fell off.
In an instant, he lost both his speed and balance and fell, but quickly stood up and ran.
[It’s going downhill soon!]
The man, who was running with all his might, climbed onto the saddle behind the leader while the man waited for a moment.
And the two bicycles slide down.
[I survived!]
It must have been painful to have the winter wind stinging my face, but it felt better to be able to rest my torn leg muscles.
[Keeeeek-!]
They were relieved as they heard the screams gradually getting further away.
The pinnacle of these retro units is, of course, the mounted unit.
In a disaster situation, a means of transportation that does not consume oil is no different from a strategic item.
Even as they retreated to the south during the Infectious War, people somehow managed to take care of their livestock, especially cows and horses, and run away.
An outdoor barn at a survivor camp. Here, horses, cows, pigs, chickens, etc. Were you raised together.
[Puh hee hing!]
[Why do these guys seem to eat better food than me?]
The fat young man complained.
The horse’s feed trough contained feed mixed with weeds, some beans, an unknown pellet, and a few pieces of carrots.
[That’s because I’m more useful than you.]
A thin young man who was shoveling next to me said. He scooped up horse manure, collected it, and put it in a bucket.
[It carries a load well, runs fast, dung can be used as firewood, and it can also give birth to foals. When you die, you get a lot of meat. Do you have any use other than cleaning up their poop? The last one is probably similar.]
[Hey!]
I protested with a look that said it was too much, but it had no effect.
[Stop complaining and move your hands quickly. I’m working alone.]
Meanwhile, the horse that was eating the feed pooped out a large pile of feces.
[Honey!]
A thick black sausage was ejected from a nearby pig’s butt.
[Oh, fuck.]
The thin young man spoke as if he was sighing.
“Hmm.”
As I operated the touchpad, the image of the two young men suddenly became smaller and entered one of the several divisions on the screen.
“Are you living a more lively life than you thought? “Until a month ago, everyone was lifeless.”
[Because information about infectious agents is quite well known. Take a breath. I am carrying out life activities.]
Artemis displayed a walker on the screen.
It was an entity moving very slowly, covered in snow in a remote mountain valley.
[I think they intentionally held on until winter by storing up strength.]
The survival camp consisted of a few people, from a single digit to a high of five digits.
There are so many different camps, but there are also good people who advocate for a great cause.
[Citizens! Now is not the time to go looting. This is not the time to fight each other. Now that they have slowed down due to the cold, it is the right time to break their power. Let’s all unite together and cleanly eradicate the monsters, at least in Honam.]
It was one of the military garrisons and formed the largest force among the groups classified as the altruistic camp. They broadcast publicly in all directions.
It wasn’t a situation like Yeosu where people died without immediate support, but it wasn’t a very strong garrison.
[Then, by dividing the land and supplies equally, we can live more humanely in the coming spring and summer. Any camps willing to cooperate should contact us. This place is open at any time.]
However, there were only two forces that responded to the call, and even those were without much power.
Each force strong enough to be helpful was realizing its own survival.
Although we have not yet reached the level of a war of all against all.
