Chapter 134 – Drone Report – South
The physical test was completed successfully. All parts of the body were functioning normally.
[Safety lock activation complete. You can relax now. Because there won’t be any superpowers applied to involuntary movements.]
Artemis said.
‘Wouldn’t this be a disadvantage in actual practice? Reflexive movements can save your life.’
I opened the conversation switch in my nervous system and spoke in my heart. I’m slowly getting used to handling the virtual radio.
‘In a sudden surprise attack, the fist that goes out unconsciously makes a clean hit or pushes back hard.’
[This would be true for someone with strengthened muscles and normal nerves. But for you now, there is no gap between reflexive and conscious movements. It’s a meaningless shortcoming.]
Certainly, since receiving the acceleration implant procedure, I have been able to perceive all the surrounding movement before I act.
[Any other questions?]
‘Doesn’t exist. I’m bored just sitting still, so please connect me to external reconnaissance data. ‘I think there’s quite a lot of it accumulated, right?’
[As you wish.]
You must remain in the glass tube while your immune system rebuilds. In the meantime, I looked at records of external activities.
There was a report from the south brought in by drones and a report from the inland brought in by stalker robots. The first thing I opened was the southern part.
Lee Man-cheol of Goheung and Lee Seong-bong of Yeosu. Although the two commanders argued fiercely over the radio, they did not engage in combat.
Lee Seong-bong lacked the resources, and Lee Man-cheol lacked justification.
It is a burden to lead a fratricidal war, even for someone who is just starting out and goes so far as to kill his superiors and turn him into a warlord.
Other groups of survivors nearby are in the midst of plundering into southern Honam.
This was because the force of the infectious agent was relatively weak and the winter cold and snow made it the wrong time to advance. Those with good vehicle power or a large liver went even to the central part of Honam.
In this situation, are you falling behind in the loot race because you’re shooting at each other? So the members are hungry?
It is also becoming difficult for Lee Man-cheol to keep his position.
It’s different from shooting and killing a superior. A lot of blood is shed on the hands of subordinates, and at the same time, the subordinates themselves have to shed blood. Even he can’t help but notice.
Meanwhile, the incident in which three soldiers from Yeosu deserted and joined Goheung was significant.
This desertion occurred when it was snowing heavily and Artemis and I were looking at the beach from the pavilion.
It is common for search teams from different camps to clash and growl.
A contingent from Goheung and a contingent from Yeosu met in front of a supermarket.
[Don’t shoot!]
Both sides shouted, no matter who was first. It is not a civilian-centered search team, but if soldiers fight among themselves, whoever wins will lose.
This is the entrance to Suncheon after passing through the northernmost part of Yeosu.
The soldiers in Yeosu looked perplexed, as if they had not expected that they would come to a place like this.
[You guys, let’s go.]
A sergeant who appears to be the leader of the Yeosu contingent said.
Following the unspoken rule when soldiers clashed over supplies, the Yeosu soldiers who came late tried to return.
[Wait!]
But Goheung’s soldiers caught it. He is a man with a captain rank insignia.
[There’s no need to go back empty-handed, right?]
He smiled slyly.
[Are you saying you will make concessions?]
The sergeant asked.
[There is a better way.]
The captain approached, taking out a cigarette from his chest. He also recommended it to the sergeant of the Yeosu detachment and the two soldiers behind him. The soldiers’ tension melted away in an instant.
For just one cigarette? You could say that, but these are naive young people who were freshmen in college or farming in the countryside until last year.
It is strange that fellow Koreans are able to endure this situation where they are pointing guns at each other.
The soldiers felt as much joy at the captain’s intention to ‘let’s not fight’ as they did at the taste of cigarettes.
[Wartime promotion, right? Forcing? Or resources?]
[Force?]
The sergeant answered the captain’s question.
In the infection war, the cadres were divided more than the soldiers.
Therefore, there were quite a few cases where soldiers at the rank of sergeant or sergeant became captains and went on border patrols or went on missions to secure supplies.
The commanders, perhaps because they did not like the idea of a soldier leading soldiers, promoted a soldier who was moderately busy to non-commissioned officer. Of course, but by force.
Since there was no other option, he accepted it, but many soldiers were dissatisfied because they were given the rank of sergeant, which they did not want.
[There was a rumor that the service period would be extended again. Are these true?]
A soldier from the Yeosu side asked.
During the infectious war, the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea extended the service period of all active duty soldiers by one year through the Special Wartime Act.
[If you extend it again, it’s illegal, you idiot.]
The sergeant said.
His voice was sharp, and the soldiers looked at him with pity.
The soldiers who were forcibly promoted to sergeant were originally scheduled to be discharged within the next year, even considering the extension of their service.
However, as I became an officer, my service period increased by at least 5 years, so ugh.
[That’s right, even in wartime, it is illegal for soldiers to extend their service beyond one year. So they’re changing the law? There was talk on the radio that the Provisional Government of Jeju Island would pass the agenda next month.]
The captain grinned.
[Ah!]
[Fuck!]
The soldiers sighed, and the sergeant chuckled.
These days, everyone has become rougher after going through daily combat, and swearing in front of senior staff is not particularly rude.
They chain-smoked while watching the Goheung search team load supermarket supplies into their vehicles.
The conversation between the soldiers on both sides ended when more than 10 cigarettes fell at their feet.
[Come on, let’s go!]
The captain said with a smile.
He smiled at the satisfactory harvest.
All the necessary supplies were loaded onto the vehicle, and three soldiers and the military vehicle they were riding in were added. This would be enough to deserve a decoration.
[If we go there, they won’t send us to Yeosu?]
The sergeant asked again as if to confirm.
[Of course. It will be awkward for you to see your old colleagues, and we are worried about an accident that might happen. It will be used to maintain security and security on the opposite side of Yeosu. Sometimes I go north to look for supplies.]
The captain answered the sergeant’s question. The three soldiers in Yeosu decided to change their affiliation.
They are conscripts who are not professional soldiers by nature, and because of the war situation, they do not know when their service will end.
The government fled to Jeju Island, and the personnel management system, including the military police, has long since collapsed.
In this situation, it was not particularly important to the soldiers which unit they belonged to.
[We also have a livestock farm. Do you guys like Budae Jjigae?]
[Yes! I like it!]
The soldiers answered the captain’s question like a chorus.
[The Budae-jjigae eaten in the military during wartime is the real Budae-jjigae. On auspicious days like today, a special meal is provided to new recruits.]
At the captain’s words, not only the soldiers but also the sergeant swallowed their saliva.
There are cases where soldiers desert and set up small camps or, like the samurai of the Warring States Period, go to warlords with better conditions. They also moved in search of family members or relatives whose survival was confirmed.
Since this transfer phenomenon has just begun, each unit is still inadequate in responding.
[Will things like this continue to happen in the future?]
Artemis, who was watching the video together, asked.
‘Of course. The belief that one day one will be discharged and return to society. That is the only driving force that makes soldiers persevere and serve. If that trust has been broken, there is no need to look back. The problem is that the commanders’ response will be poor.’
[Why? It’s an extremely common sense idea, right? Couldn’t we have prepared?]
‘The military is where that common sense doesn’t apply, lady.’
It would be difficult for someone who thinks based on her logic to understand.
‘Senior commanders view loyalty as an input, not an output. I don’t even think about making it come out of my heart through proper treatment. The majority of people believe that the moment you put on a military uniform, you should feel endless loyalty.’
It was half inertia and half miracle that the current soldiers were able to maintain their positions.
The advantages of serving may include better food than civilians, but it cannot be considered a good option for being mobilized for such dangerous missions.
Of course, there was an uproar at the military base in Yeosu.
Armed desertion was a major incident even when Korea was in good health, but it was even more serious when the military was lacking, as it is now, and when it was in conflict with a clear enemy.
Lee Seong-bong’s face was stiff as he gathered his troops and gave an encouraging speech.
Still, without threatening or making threats, I went over the current situation step by step. Likewise, the soldiers remained calm without being greatly agitated.
‘It’s quite calm.’
[But mentally you will be very anxious. Even if the same incident happens one more time, you’ll be shaken, right?]
Artemis was right.
We looked at more videos from the Yeosu area.
Behind Yeosu were cities that had eradicated the infectious agent. It becomes dangerous even if you go just 500 meters outside the city, but the inside of the city is safe anyway.
Drones equipped with high-performance cameras, monitoring devices, and camouflage paint captured the lives of survivors in detail.
Many people were gathered together in the city because it was the day of rationing.
Armed soldiers stood guard at the distribution center, which was a converted supermarket, and citizens waited in line in front of it. The floor was littered with crumpled and trampled newspapers, flyers, and pieces of boxes.
[Be sure to present your resident registration card or driver’s license. Student ID cards or other qualifications are not accepted.]
A police officer on horseback passed by holding a loudspeaker. He gave a quick greeting to the soldier on guard, and the soldier also waved.
The police and military were operated in a combined form, similar to the past ROK-US joint forces.
There are also groups like Goheung where the military absorbed all the organizations and unified them. In such cases, police officers, firefighters, and soldiers stand guard with each other according to their assigned ranks.
[If you are found using a false identity, you will be branded and expelled. If you return to the city in that state and are discovered, you will be summarily executed.]
The mounted police gave brutal instructions without blinking. A few years ago, this would have been captured on video and made headlines, but now it is everyday life.
[It’s barbaric to brand someone with a heated iron.]
‘Because now that the human resources management system has collapsed, there is no alternative. At least he’s a nobleman from Yeosu-myeon who has a brand on his wrist.’
In other regions, people stamp their foreheads or cheeks, and in some places, they omit them altogether and execute them on the spot.
Citizens looked around with anxious eyes. He did not try to take a single step out of the area marked with line tape. This is because if you are unlucky enough to escape, you will not be able to return to your original position.
You have to go back to the end of the line and wait for a long time, and in the worst case, you may not be able to receive rations. The worst case scenario is that you are arrested for doing something unsavory, such as trying to sneak into a supermarket.
Everyone is holding their ID cards in their hands, but half of them are fiddling with them in their pockets and the other half are holding them so tightly that not even the end of the ID card can be seen.
A soldier with his hand on the trigger walked past them.
Occasionally, there were people entering the supermarket dragging carts loaded with supplies. These are people who farm under the protection of the military.
Proper large-scale rice paddy farming is not even dreamed of, and most farm is organized in point-organized gardens. The cart was loaded with vegetables covered in dirt, followed by a soldier holding a rifle.
‘Carrots and potatoes on a cart, guarded by armed soldiers with wide eyes.’
[There are also turnips. There is nothing like it for mass supply in a disaster situation.]
Apart from me sighing, the citizens who were waiting for their rations couldn’t take their eyes off the cart.
A stew with those three things combined would be a pretty good meal for the people of Yeosu.
If beaten eggs or seafood are added, it becomes a fine bourgeois meal, and if land meat is added, it becomes a nobleman’s meal.
Another cart pulled by a middle-aged woman entered. There is a lot of dried seaweed inside.
[Hey, the carts keep coming in. How long do we have to wait? Three hours have already passed.]
A young woman at the front of the queue asked in a somewhat sharp voice. In her arms is a baby wrapped in cloth.
[If your legs hurt, please rest.]
The soldier with the rank of corporal responded politely.
The woman’s face crumpled when she heard those words. She has been waiting since early in the morning to take care of the baby, but if she is absent, it could all be in vain.
[I will remember and preserve the space. Then the child will catch a cold.]
The corporal, seeing the woman’s expression, realized that his words had been misunderstood and quickly corrected himself.
[Ah, thank you…]
[Moo!]
A cart pulled by oxen entered in front of the woman who was trying to thank her for her consideration.
What was loaded this time was external loot, and the woman’s eyes lit up when she saw the shiny aluminum container. It was powdered milk.
Gritting her teeth, the woman kept her position after sealing her child’s chest even more carefully.
It’s not that I don’t trust what the soldier says, but I also can’t trust it 100%. This is because we absolutely could not miss this supply.
Meanwhile, the line behind her became noisy.
[■■■■■■]
A man who was shouting loudly in Chinese was forcibly dragged out by a soldier.
[Shut up!]
The soldier shouted, but the Chinese spoke even louder.
Puck!
There is only one warning. The Chinese man was hit on the shoulder by the swung butt and fell to the ground.
The ground was covered with dust and melted snow, and the Chinese quickly became as dirty as beetles.
[Aaaaahhh-!]
The Chinese has changed to screaming, but it’s still noisy. After the soldier kicked him a few times with his military uniform, it became quiet.
A little behind the line where the Chinese people were being dragged, a man who was watching with a very nervous expression quietly left and disappeared into her alley.
[Demon Soldier!]
A soldier who was on guard in a hip shooting position on the rooftop shouted.
[Why?]
The soldier who guided the woman holding the baby answered.
[What is that?]
The soldier on the rooftop said.
[How would you know if I just said that? If you have some time, please explain in an understandable way.]
The soldier on the rooftop pointed his finger toward the sky.
The corporal’s head turned following the finger. Not only that, the heads of the citizens who had been waiting tirelessly also went up.
And everyone’s mouths opened.
What caught their eyes was a large airship. This is the drone carrier we sent.
The machine body corresponding to the main body is smaller than expected, but the balloon that provides the buoyancy is very large. Thanks to this, it will be very intimidating to people who do not have this knowledge.
[Is he dropping something?]
A drone carrier was dropping a box of supplies.
Among the people who watched it blankly, the first to come to their senses was Ma Sang-byeong.
[Command and control room. This is distribution center number 2.]
He activated the radio he was wearing on his chest.
[What? Also, if you leave your residence, just leave it alone. It would be nice if there were fewer mouths. Instead, make sure to record their details, and if they come crawling in later, put a bullet in them!]
The officer on duty responded. Judging by his young voice, he does not seem to be Lieutenant Colonel Lee Seong-bong, but at most a lieutenant colonel. He or he could be a non-commissioned officer.
[No. I think you need to come to distribution center number 2 right away.]
[What is it? Please explain at least briefly.]
The corporal was silent for a moment as he pondered how to report this unimaginable sight.
[What’s going on? Report.]
Slowly, annoyance was starting to appear in the voice over the radio. But the corporal seems to have finished organizing his thoughts. He activated the radio again.
[Supply support has arrived from the air. The direction is from the inland, not Jeju Island.]
It was a short report but contained all the essential information. He appears to be an excellent soldier, as he quickly regained his composure and reported.
The response from the command and control room was short.
[What?!!!]
He shouted so loudly that the horse soldier frowned for a moment.
Whether they had that question and answer, a second drone carrier appeared and was dropping supplies.
