Chapter 232 – Separation
The incident occurred at night.
No matter how well Jinsu and Artemis have built an excellent external surveillance system, they cannot truly look down on everything under the sky like gods.
Moreover, as we are concentrating our efforts on securing spacecraft and building forward bases, there are many holes in our surveillance of other areas.
The world was ruined, and light sources from roads and various residential areas disappeared completely.
The monster wave that crashed in an instant while immersed in the Black Sea of darkness was more secretive and deadly than the surprise invasion of the South during the Korean War.
This is the frontline border area of the Honam Plain.
“Fuck the smell.”
A soldier on guard at night said.
Next to the private who swore was a private who was half a year older than him, but he didn’t say anything.
If it were the military of the past, people would have been asking, “What did you just say?”, But in today’s situation where real battles are taking place frequently, we just ignore it and say that what is good.
Above all, both were soldiers who came in after the infection war.
I wouldn’t dare do this in front of the ‘real veterans’ who served before the war, but I get along quite well with the new soldiers who came in afterward.
“Oh, it smells perfect.”
“Stop whining.”
The private who couldn’t stand it said.
“It doesn’t really smell that bad, so why are you complaining?”
“Can’t you smell this?”
The private sniffed openly.
“I can’t smell anything because it’s covered in the smell of dirt and cow dung.”
Just 30 meters behind where they stand guard, there is a rice field being cultivated.
You may be wondering if you are bringing civilians too close to the dangerous outskirts, but there is no choice as all possible resources and land must be squeezed out.
Clumsy farmers, volunteered and conscripted from various classes, plowed the fields and pulled weeds while listening to the sound of gunfire several times a day.
Sniff!
The private slightly put his head forward and smelled it. Then he looks at the private as if he is dumbfounded.
“If you can’t smell this, I think you have rhinitis.”
“I guess your nose is sensitive. Not too long ago, they complained about the new recruits being stinky, so I almost had to go to a military training camp. “In today’s world, there is no one who washes every day.”
“That guy really smelled bad. Just lifting my arm makes me vomit.”
“Stop talking nonsense and look straight ahead. It will be time for the officers to patrol in a little while.”
“There has to be something that looks right. “The moon hasn’t risen today, so it’s very dark.”
Batteries and electricity were all poor and the border area was long. Therefore, only really important areas maintained a constant light source.
Guard duty rules were re-established so that gunners would briefly cut off their flashlights at regular intervals while the rest relied on moonlight.
“Oh, it really smells bad today. “Let’s turn on the light for a moment.”
The private got angry again.
“Okay dude. “When they hear your voice, they will come in droves.”
The private touched the civilian flashlight switch hanging on his chest.
“Anyway, this guy is so fucking sensitive…”
Dalkak.
“…”
“…”
The moment light descended ahead, both of them froze.
The first thing you see are human figures that look over 50 at best.
Just by looking at the strong-looking body and non-flaccid movements, you could tell that it was different from an ordinary walker.
“Kii-!”
More than half of the people turned their heads or lowered their posture at the sudden light source.
The sight gave the private goosebumps all over his body. This is because it reminded me of what the instructor told me to do during new recruit training.
“Evolved mutants have sensitive senses and pain nerves.” That one word played clearly in my head.
A twisted tsunami is coming behind them. Just as rice plants that have achieved a good harvest are swaying in the wind, the infected bodies are so dense that there is no end in sight.
Gulp.
The two soldiers just froze like rats in front of a snake, unable to take any action, such as being surprised, making an emergency radio call, or opening fire.
The private’s trembling hand held the radio. The shaking was so severe that it was difficult to even aim and press the switch properly, so he had to hold it with both hands.
The moment when you finally grit your teeth and press the switch.
Bibibig.
There was a guard post that attempted to radio a half beat faster than them.
[Jitongsil! Jitongsil! Here…]
Ta-ta-tang!
Before the urgent voice could finish, a loud gunshot erupted.
Percussion! Percussion!
Vivid gunshots beyond the radio sound and diluted gunshots from a nearby guard post intersect.
[Keeeeek-!]
[Run!]
From the radio that was still turned on, the screams of the infected entities and the voice of a fellow soldier right next to him shouting to run away were louder.
Quang!
It looks like someone exploded Cremoire. Simultaneously, gunshots, explosions, faint screams, and the howling sounds of monsters drowning out everything mentioned above began to shake the heavens and earth from all directions.
* * *
Bang!
The eyes of the people who were sleeping in a village near the border opened brightly.
It was common for gunshots to ring out while sleeping, so people who were half asleep tried to go back to sleep.
From a whining child, a mother comforting and hugging a child, an uncle cursing, to an old man who doesn’t know the world and won’t wake up. It’s the same scenery as me.
But
Boom!
When there was a roar that was much louder than a gunshot, everyone couldn’t help but feel something was strange.
Eventually, when gunshots rang out across the border, I felt something was definitely wrong.
“What on earth is going on… Wow!”
A walker latched onto a woman as she came out of the tent, rubbing her eyes and looking in all directions.
“Kyahaak.”
As he was thrown to the ground and his neck was bitten, he could not even scream anymore.
The light quickly disappeared from his eyes as blood poured out of his hollow neck.
The people who formed a tent village near the border area had no time to escape, and even those who quickly got out of the tent met death.
This is because they were attacked by an infectious agent before they could even understand the situation, or because they noticed it quickly and went back to pick up their families in the tent.
It was a noble choice, but most of them were never able to get out again.
“Mom! “Mom!”
“Stay down!”
A tearful wife and young daughter are hugging each other in a tent. Her wife buried her child’s face in her arms, preventing him from seeing anything.
Her husband, holding a kitchen knife, is standing in front of her mother and daughter. The tent was so narrow that I couldn’t even straighten my back properly.
It seemed as though the village was on fire, with orange flames shining everywhere beyond the tent fabric. But this is not the time to worry about such things.
“Keeeeek-!”
Three walkers were clinging to the tent wall like rabid dogs. Their terrible shapes were visible through the opaque tent cloth.
“Crrrr!”
It’s a fairly tough material, and it held up for a while when I recklessly pushed it with my palm, but when one of the guys raised its claws, it immediately started tearing.
“Hmm!”
The wife, hiding her daughter in her arms, desperately tried to hold back her screams, but to what avail?
“Keeeeek-!”
The kitchen knife my husband swung pierced the chest of the guy running in front, but that didn’t buy me even a second of time.
“No! “No way!!!”
My husband had his left arm and right shoulder eaten by two walkers, but barely managed to hold on to the leg of one as it fell backwards. However, the holding power quickly weakened.
Ten seconds later, the loud sound of flesh chewing echoed inside the tent.
Similar situations were happening in other tents as well.
Blood splatters beyond the opaque tent fabric and silhouettes writhing while being crushed by the infected body shake.
[Border post! Guard post! Respond to the guard post!]
No one answered the empty radio call.
Even when the outskirts of the village are turned into chaos, the waves of monsters coming from beyond the border continue.
Meanwhile, a hastily constructed defense line was built on the road leading to the center of the village. The blood and flesh of the people who lived in the outskirts bought that time.
“3rd platoon assembly complete!”
Platoon-sized soldiers are forming a line.
Because they were in a hurry, only a few people were properly dressed in military uniform. Most of them are wearing activewear.
Even the officer who took temporary command of them was wearing slippers and a running shirt.
“Keeeeek!”
The outline of the monster that was blurry in the distance gradually becomes clearer.
“Don’t shoot! “Wait!”
The officer shouted.
The burning outskirts and a huge number of infected entities were at the forefront, with a few survivors desperately running away.
Sigh!
A precious flare gun issued only to officers was fired into the sky.
“Oh, my God.”
“We are all dead!”
When they saw a wave of monsters swarming in the suddenly illuminated outskirts, agitation spread among the soldiers.
“Don’t shoot!”
“Don’t shoot! Shoot… Wow!”
The people running away shouted, waving their arms wildly. Among them, there were some who were caught and fell to the ground.
Whisk!
Two men and a woman passed by the line of soldiers.
“Hehe! Hehe!”
A few seconds later, a fat middle-aged man also passed by, and several more people passed by after that.
They just ran forward without saying a word of gratitude to the soldiers who risked their lives to protect them.
[Keeeeek-!]
“Don’t shoot!!!”
Now there is not much distance left from the infectious agents.
The soldiers’ fingers on the trigger are shaking and the sound of their nails hitting various places can be heard everywhere.
“Start shooting!”
The officer shouted.
The survivors who heard this from afar screamed hysterically and waved their arms.
The bloody muzzle of a gun in front, the breath of a monster just a few meters away behind. The fear of death is just around the corner.
The soldiers are equally agitated.
“There are people over there…”
“Shut up and shoot!”
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tang!
There were many soldiers who hesitated, but when a few soldiers opened fire, everyone immediately started shooting.
5.56 mm bullets rained down in front of those running in close concentration.
“Wow!”
The sound of beating drums rings loudly, the humans in the lead fall over, and the infected organisms that follow them stumble, spraying blood.
However, although some fell under the hail of bullets, no one stopped.
“Aaaaah!”
The soldier who started shooting first screamed and pulled the trigger.
Is it because of the guilt of having committed murder? Or is it because of the fear of the endless monsters?
“Shoot! Shoot! Keep shooting!”
The officer who was giving orders pulled out a grenade and threw his all into it.
As the rushing walkers collapse into a hive, and limbs fall off, a grenade dropped in the middle of them explodes.
Wow!
The empty space of the shattering infectious agents was filled in less than 3 seconds.
Clap and flutter.
A fairly large piece of flesh fell in front of the soldier who was reloading after throwing away an empty magazine while shooting in a kneeling position. Some splattered sand and blood stick to the soldier’s pants.
Ta-ta-tang!
Yellow flowers spewing out from various muzzleloaders decorate the darkness, and each time, infectious agents fall one after another, but the distance is getting shorter.
Slam!
“Load!”
Whenever firepower was reduced to load one or two people, the distance quickly narrowed.
“Huh, retreat! After…”
Poop!
The moment the officer, who judged it to be a serious overkill, was about to order a retreat, the top of his chin disappeared.
“Huh?”
A soldier right next to him, covered in the blood of an officer, looking foolishly.
The twitching body of the officer, with only his lower teeth and tongue remaining, blood pouring from his throat! Phew! And it rose intermittently.
“Crrrrva!”
The soldier who heard the ripper’s cries right behind him was struck by the feeling of fainting.
“Back!”
The moment when the soldier who was firing at the front turns back and fires.
Puck!
Another ripper’s kick flew through the air and his head was shattered like a watermelon.
“Run!”
The soldiers, who had lost their commander and even allowed the infection to infiltrate, abandoned their defense lines and began to flee into the village.
Bang bang bang!
Some of them were so busy shooting at the monsters in front of them that they were unaware of the situation right next to them, while others kept shooting to protect their positions with a solid military spirit.
However, all the gunshots soon died out as they were swallowed up by the monsters’ screams.
* * *
The center of the village was in a state of complete chaos.
Survivors screaming and running from all directions, monsters chasing them, and soldiers gathered in a larger group to create chaos.
However, if you look only at the soldiers’ position, it was better than previous situations.
“Please save me!”
“Keeeeek!”
“Ouch!”
It’s a cruel thing to say, but the people running around like cockroaches and dying like flies everywhere attracted the monsters’ attention and had the effect of dispersing them.
In addition, there were not only tents but also proper buildings here, so it was advantageous to resist by hiding in windows and rooftops and fortifying the area.
[Civilians and monsters are mixed together! Repeat! Civilians are mixed together!]
[People are dying!]
[Tell us the rules of engagement!]
Designated marksmen, snipers, and machine gunners selected from among the soldiers were stationed in the building.
Urgent messages from them poured out of the radio.
[Shoot everyone! Shoot everything that moves!]
An old voice shouted hysterically.
[Are you serious?]
[Do you think I’m joking right now?! Hurry up and shoot!]
Bang!
While there were executives who refused orders, there were also executives who immediately started shooting.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!
The machine gun blazed and fired bullets indiscriminately. Those who were being chased fell to the ground, spewing blood.
[Don’t shoot!]
[Shoot!]
Voices urgently shouting to stop shooting intersected with voices urging shooting.
Ta-ta-tang!
Any voice was soon drowned out by gunshots tearing up the night sky.
People are falling everywhere. There are real people, and there are people wearing human masks.
[Where is the tank?!]
A designated marksman, angry at the never-ending wave of infected people, shouted from the rooftop.
“Kwoaaaaa Unit (-)-!) -!)?
As if in response to his question, something fell from the sky.
Kwaang!
A huge weight fell on the spot where the designated marksman was, sending stone dust and dust flying in all directions.
Inside, the Juggernaut appeared with a sinister look in his eyes.
“Aaaaah!”
The designated marksman barely managed to dodge using his beastly sense, but his ankle was crushed by the Juggernaut just in the nick of time.
A long, heavy shadow was cast over his head as he dragged his flat feet and shed tears.
“Hmm?”
The last thing he saw, as he endured the pain and looked up, was a torn tank gun barrel.
The gun barrel in the Juggernaut’s hand falls violently onto his forehead.
Kwasik!
“Holy shit!”
An American soldier cursed as he saw a corpse on the rooftop across from head to crotch being shattered to pieces.
As a member of the U.S. Army in Korea, he was left behind after the Infectious War and wandered around until he joined the troops stationed in the Honam Plain.
Coo!
Juggernaut flew to another place. It was a place where a squad of soldiers was setting up barricades and firing.
Kujik!
The soldiers who saw a comrade being flattened as it landed screamed and turned their guns.
In addition to the Juggernaut, their colleagues were also entangled in the firing line where each person’s gun was pointed.
“Kaaaaang-!”
With its roar, muzzles spewed fire from all directions.
“Go to sleep! Shooting… Wow!”
When Juggernaut killed one more person, more people were shot down by his companion.
Since it was fired right in front, the 5.56 mm bullet did quite a bit of damage, but was unable to inflict fatal injuries.
Poop!
Right!
Soldiers fell to pieces one after another, their bodies crushed by the angry Juggernaut’s fist, and the area finally became quiet.
“Uh… Uh…”
“Cough.”
There were some soldiers groaning from gunshot wounds, but Juggernaut seemed uninterested and ran to another place. This is because lively game was still plentiful everywhere.
“Keeeeek-!”
“Ugh, no… No…”
A moment later, walkers attacked the soldiers who were dying from gunshot wounds.
The sound of flesh being torn and bones being gnawed rang out along with a terrible scream.
The general commander of the Honam Plain garrison looked at all the scenes through a telescope.
“Damn it…”
A swear word came out from the corner of his trembling mouth.
A fairly long lull that followed the infection war.
It was a large-scale raid that has never existed since. A nighttime surprise attack with the speed seen in a human army.
The commander looked at the battlefield with eyes so wide that they were bloodshot.
As all directions were being pushed back little by little, a soldier who had been hit squarely by the acid sprayed by the resolver came into view.
Without even having time to struggle, the soldier instantly melted in place and erected a tombstone with his own remains.
Even though the battle had already been decided, there was no end in sight to the monsters coming from beyond the outskirts.
Now it is teeming with monsters in the form of insects, as well as walkers and some familiar variants.
“Retreat! Everyone retreats!”
Farmland acquired with difficulty and the foundation for rebuilding civilization with the blood and sweat of citizens.
They disappeared completely in just one night.
* * *
“Damn.”
I rushed to the central control room after being urgently awakened by Artemis from my sleep and realized that the situation was already out of control.
Infected organisms move steadily forward beyond the collapsed defense line.
It was an unpleasant sight to see the rice fields that so many refugees had worked so hard to cultivate being trampled by their feet.
The tent village was swept away without a trace, and places burned and collapsed.
“How many survivors?”
“Impossible to measure.”
Artemis said.
“It’s impossible to get a sense of how many survived and how many died because they were scattered in all directions in the dark. Survivors and infected alike were scattered outside the residential area where the fierce battle took place. “I was chased and chased, and now the whole area is like a hunting ground.”
Without further ado, we gathered all the troops we could and dispatched them. But how useful is it?
“Still, I have to try what I can.”
Artemis nodded to me as I muttered as if asking for consent.
The worst of the worst must be avoided. With such hope in mind, the Iron Army headed south.
“You’re crazy.”
Aerial footage of the relief force heading south. Hell unfolded beneath it.
A large-scale colony of infected organisms, incomparable to those discovered so far, is marching toward the south.
