Chapter 360 – Exile (2)
The 15-member allied militia led by Peter have been handling firearms since the past.
Affiliations ranged from soldiers, police, hunters, smugglers, and even the mafia. In times when law and order existed, the experience of killing someone was not uncommon.
Because they were such people, each camp sent good weapons and precious horses.
“Those guys from Lake Village really didn’t come. “Loyal bastards.”
“You sound like a traitor. Just whine for help later.”
The crew grumbled.
Although their level of armament is no less than that of any other soldier, it is natural to feel reassured that there are more people.
“Isn’t this a group that had already prepared to move south before the incident occurred? Even though he has no loyalty, it would be too much to call him a traitor. “I just wish them good luck on their future journey.”
“You are very generous, Captain.”
The grumbling stopped after one twist of Pyotr’s words.
People who fled to northern Siberia to avoid infectious agents and seek the cold survived many crises thanks to Pyotr’s command.
This is not the first time that several villages have joined forces to carry out an operation.
However, while there were always deaths when Pyotr was absent, no one died when Peter was present.
After a year, everyone obeyed his authority in times of crisis.
The fact that Peter was a deserted officer was no blemish.
During the infection war, it was a global trend for the government to abandon its citizens.
A deserter officer who ran from Moscow to Siberia for 20 years to protect his abandoned family and hometown!
It was welcomed by the people of his hometown and not something to be insulted.
“Can’t we all just pack our bags and go down now? Why are you going such a long way to investigate?”
There was even an opinion to move as a group like a lake village.
Although it might be getting tiresome, Pyotr looked straight into the eyes of the questioner as always and opened his mouth.
“Even when I go, I need to know what happened. We are so information-dark. “We can’t just go on a long journey without knowing where to go or what’s behind us.”
“The captain is right. Migration is different from marching; once you start, you can’t stop. If you don’t have a house when you arrive, you and your wife and children will starve to death there.”
When even the unit commander Alexei came forward, the members reluctantly agreed.
“Don’t worry, I’m already looking for a place to settle in the south through a familiar merchant. It was time to slowly go down.”
Pyotr didn’t forget to throw the carrot at the end.
Among the 15 people, there are only a few from Sakha who can be said to have grown up with a taste of the real Siberia.
Most are refugees from the much warmer south, west, or east. It is also true that we are slowly reaching our limits.
The only thing that gives humans a physical advantage over infectious agents is their resistance to cold.
No matter how powerful the strain is, its activity slows down significantly in Siberia, where the fierce winds blow.
“It may be a little chilly, but this is the safest place. Why are you so anxious to go down?”
Unit commander Alexei, a Sakha native, clicked his tongue.
“It’s not chilly, but it feels like a knife is being stabbed in the face?”
A young operator wearing an ushanka (earflap that) said.
“I tell you once and for all, that knife could save your life. “I was once grabbed by the neck while fighting wights…”
“Isn’t this a story about surviving thanks to the cold? Please stop. “I’ve already heard it more than 10 times.”
The crew also blocked Alexei from telling the same story.
Wight is a term used by Russians, especially Siberians, to refer to infectious agents. This is because the infected organisms here always showed pale skin due to the cold.
Unit commander Alexei was once grabbed by the neck by a walker during a battle.
Originally, he would have died with his throat split or his uvula torn. But Alexei realized that there was no significant pressure on his neck.
When I looked closely, I saw that all five of Walker’s fingers were rotten from frostbite.
The story of him striking off a walker’s wrist with a hand blade and chopping off his head with an ax later became his regular comments. Especially when persuading the Siberian breakaway faction.
After infectious agents covered the world, Siberia became a land of survival. There are even jokes that the population has actually increased compared to before the war.
But now Alexei’s saga is slowly being rebutted.
“A friend of mine who went to Korea said he definitely saw it. There is a machine floating in the sky that sprays gas. It is harmless to humans, but if a wight inhales even a little bit of it, it will faint. Oh, they call them walkers there?”
“They say that if you go to Vladivostok, you can see wights with their whole bodies rotten and rustling. “I heard you can kill even little kids with just a hammer.”
As time passed, rumors of the shelter and vaccine reached the northernmost part of Russia.
As Siberia, where the infectious agent was weak, became more and more peaceful, people began to think, ‘Wouldn’t it be okay to move down to the south, where it is easier to live?’
At exactly that critical point, the mysterious camp evaporation incident began to occur.
Thanks to this, the conflict between the so-called Remain faction and the Southern faction rapidly accelerated.
-Let’s leave right now!
-Isn’t this proof that wights are thriving again? We have to endure the cold here!
As they lack eyes and ears, it was difficult to choose either one.
As much information was needed, a joint investigation team was formed.
However, they did not know that a completely different entity from the infectious agent they called a wight had been born.
Even warlords from the military who have greater information and power than these people.
“I can see it little by little.”
The sawmill village, the destination of the joint investigation team, was visible from afar.
As the name suggests, there are many trees around, so it is a place that makes a living by supplying wood.
If it had been any other village, the formation of a joint investigation team would have been lukewarm, but this is also the reason why an advance team was dispatched in one week and an additional investigation team of 15 people was dispatched in two weeks.
“It’s quiet. “There is no movement.”
Commander Alexei looked through a telescope, but the village was quiet.
“Everyone, check the condition of your firearm and disable the safety device.”
In response to Pyotr’s words, the sound of thumbs adjusting could be heard from all directions.
A march in peacetime relaxes the moment it ends, but the opposite is true for a march in actual war.
We march to a place where danger lurks, destroying dozens of villages.
A person who holds his gun even tighter, a person who makes the sign of the cross and kisses the cross he keeps in his arms, and a person who anxiously looks around.
The owners’ tension spread to the horse, which shook its head as if anxious.
Captain Pyotr stroked his horse’s mane with a gentle hand, while glaring at the village with cold eyes.
* * *
As I got closer to the village, I realized why communication had been lost.
“It’s a blood stain!”
“There are blood stains here too!”
“There are also fingers. Even though it was cut.”
Investigators dispersed in groups of two and reported from various places.
“Maintain 20 m distance between groups! During the investigation, be sure to position yourself so that you are in the field of view of other team members!”
Unit leader Alexei was busy moving around and adjusting the positions of the team members from time to time.
“You! You! The two of you go up to the watchtowers on both sides.”
Since the village itself is located on a high ground, you can monitor a fairly large area in the vicinity by climbing up the watchtower.
Pyotr picked up the rolling shoes. Inside is a frozen, severed foot, and judging by its size, it belongs to a child.
He put down his shoes and stopped at the entrance to a nearby log cabin.
“It looks like they were suddenly attacked, but they seem to have tried to defend themselves somehow.”
The unit commander, Alexei, approached and said.
As its name suggests, the sawmill village has a large amount of lumber. These were stacked at the entrance of the house to create an emergency barricade.
However, because time was tight, it seemed like there was no time to stack it up properly. It is full of traces of a breakthrough and massacre.
Pyotr swept the large, hollow log with his gloved hand.
“This is not something an ordinary wight can do.”
There was tension in Alexei’s voice.
Even if a beast like a tiger raised its claws and struck with all its might, it would not have been able to crush it so brutally.
“Are there any intact bodies?”
In response to Pyotr’s question, Alexei shook his head.
“It’s just a small piece of flesh.”
“What are the traces of the advance team?”
“It doesn’t seem to be in the village.”
Pyotr came out of the building and found a submachine gun on the ground.
He was held by a severed hand starting from the wrist, with only his thumb and index finger remaining. It was cut off entirely by something sharp and long while shooting.
“Is this an advance team sent first?”
“No. The guns are different. It looks like a guard for the sawmill town.”
Pyotr answered Alexei’s question.
“Captain, you should take a look here.”
Isaac, who had just turned 20, ran over and reported.
The vacant lot he guided us to was filled with countless pieces of internal organs and bundles of fallen luggage.
It was an amount that seemed to be enough for at least 30 people.
“Seo, are you really residents here?”
Isaac was scared. He was shaking so much that the trigger on his index finger rattled.
“Take it easy. “You’d better take your hand off the trigger first.”
Pyotr Isaac took his hand off the trigger and looked at the pile of his intestines.
“This is not human intestines. Most of it is from horses, with some from cows mixed in.”
Pyotr holds up a severed horse’s hoof.
“It looks like they gathered all the livestock from the sawmill town.”
“That’s right, Alexei. Looking at all the bundles, it looks like they were trying to leave in a hurry and take all the villagers with them. Then I had no choice but to hide inside the house and prepare for defense.”
Aside from hiding, traces of resistance were visible throughout the village.
As it is a sawmill town, there are a lot of logging axes, and it looks like they were trying to fight with them.
In Siberia, the number of infectious agents is small, and even the activity level is low. An experienced warrior could be defeated even with cold weapons.
But this time it seems the opponent was bad. The ax blade rolling around on the floor was mostly clean, and it was the handle that was soaked in blood.
As with guns, severed hands were often seen holding the handle.
“We found the advance party, or rather, traces of the advance party!”
Members came running from here and there carrying the weapons and balaclavas of the advance team.
Since each village has a unique mark, it is possible to distinguish them even if there are no corpses.
What I found was a total of 3 people’s worth. Among them was a notebook dropped by the leader of the advance team.
“You managed to make contact with the villagers.”
The notebook contained a record of the journey to the village and the terrified people preparing to escape. After that, it was soaked in blood and damaged beyond recognition.
At that moment, a sharp whistle sounded outside. It is a whistle of promise to draw attention when something important is discovered.
The investigation team found a charred body a short distance away from the village.
“I’m the last one.”
Pyotr identified the body by the weapon and body shape that fell next to it. This is the advance team that departed a week ago.
“It’s all burned, but the body itself is still there.”
“Did you leave it behind because you couldn’t eat it?”
One of the tactless crew members made a joke and was glared at.
Isn’t that corpse somehow a neighbor from the village association?
“It’s suicide.”
Pyotr took out a used flare from the charred corpse and showed it.
“Is this a self-immolation? There are weapons, so why?”
His subordinates spoke as if they were horrified to even think about it. If you’re going to die, it’s much better to die painlessly with a single bullet.
Instead of explaining, Pyotr picked up the dropped gun, loaded it, and pulled the trigger.
Slam!
Chin!
“Ah!”
Everyone nodded at the clear sound of hitting an empty chamber.
“I used up all my bullets while fighting something and ran away. Then, he was caught up here and as a last resort, he set his body on fire.”
“What on earth did you fight with?”
The crew whispered with faces filled with fear and doubt.
Most of them are veteran warriors with combat experience, whether against humans or infectious agents.
An unidentified enemy whose village of a reasonable size is unilaterally wiped out. It is an enemy so terrible that it induces painful self-immolation.
“Captain, I have also confirmed the state of the village and the fate of the advance team. “Now that we’ve completed our mission, why don’t we just go back like this?”
Alexei suggested.
He is not a coward, but he is not a fool either. In the current situation, I thought it was urgent to inform the waiting villages of the danger.
“If we go back like this, all we can say is that a village has evaporated. “You just don’t know what the real danger is.”
“That’s enough. Isn’t it actually that much more dangerous? We need to be in an emergency defense posture and build a network so that villages can exchange reinforcements.”
Alexei waited next to Pyotr, who was lost in thought.
Wooooow-!
At that moment, a strange howl was heard from far away.
The investigation team reflexively pointed their guns in that direction. However, after realizing that it was at least several kilometers away, I lowered my gun.
“Have you ever heard a cry like that?”
“Not at all!”
The crew rolled their eyes and said.
The roar was dull like that of an elephant and fierce like that of a lion.
“Yes, retreat.”
Pyotr’s decision made all the crew members angry.
“But I’m staying in this village tonight.”
“You mean here?”
His men looked at the empty village with reluctant faces.
“The sky is already setting, isn’t it? “Are you going to do a night march or camp?”
“Well, that’s not it.”
His subordinates shook their heads at Alexei’s words.
Peter applauded, attracting the attention of his men.
“Whatever it was that attacked this place, the fact that they dragged away all the corpses means that they have at least some level of intelligence. “I am aware that I have dried up the seed of the village, so I will not come back anytime soon.”
“Have you ever heard of hiding in a place where a shell fell during a war? It means that there is a low possibility of falling in the same place again.”
Alexei helped.
“It’s easy to erase our scent because there’s blood everywhere, and because the village is located on high ground, it’s easy to keep an eye on the surroundings.”
This is also the reason why the villagers were able to quickly hide inside their houses and pile up wood to gain time for defense.
The subordinates prepared lodging in the largest village hall.
Just in case, logs were moved, barricades were built thick, and even the windows were blocked with planks.
By the time we finished preparing, the sun had already set.
Gunshots were heard in the ears of the investigation team members who were entering the hall one by one.
Ta-ta-tang!
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!
It’s not just one or two rooms.
It was clearly the sound of a major battle taking place.
“Captain, it’s over there!”
The member on top of the watchtower pointed in one direction with his hand.
“Damn it!”
“How can you think it would end so easily!”
Complaining, all the members rushed forward with their respective weapons.
What they discovered when they stopped on the hill was the scene of a battle 2km away.
It was dark and far away, but this was high ground and the situation was roughly visible thanks to the frequent firing and explosions.
About 20 troops were screaming and being slaughtered.
“That’s a military warlord.”
Peter said, putting his hand on his ear.
It was possible to tell whether the 20-year-old Jjambap was a standard weapon of the regular army just by the sounds of gunshots and explosions.
Tu-ta-ta-ta-tang!
A machine gun mounted on a military truck spewed fierce fire and made a statement in the darkness.
Then something black runs at great speed and crashes into the truck.
Bang!
The truck rolled over and fell 10 meters with a loud sound that could be heard up to here.
Ta-ta-ta-tang!
-Ahh!
The gunfire and screams rapidly decreased, and the darkness of the combat area gradually deepened.
“Isn’t that the way we came?”
Isaac said in a frightened voice.
“Okay. If we hadn’t camped here and gone right back, we would have been out there too. Everyone, make sure to strictly control the lights inside the hall. “Not even a little light should leak out.”
Everyone nodded at Alexei’s words.
-Ugh!
With the final scream, all the flashes of light disappeared, leaving only darkness and silence.
The investigation team realized that they had already entered hell.
Something terrible is happening in Siberia, which has been safe for so long.
* * *
[Administrator, this is Nikolai. I’m sure you remember since we spoke on the phone a while ago.]
On the central control room screen was a skinhead Russian warlord commander.
“Of course. I never thought I’d see you again so soon. “You look like you haven’t had a good time?”
That stubborn and strong face was pale compared to a few days ago. Nikolai nodded in affirmation.
[I am a soldier, not a politician. Say it bluntly.]
“Me too. As a fellow soldier, this is a welcome statement.”
Nikolai’s eyes on the other side of the screen softened even more when he heard that they were the same soldiers.
[I apologize for my rudeness a few days ago.]
He stood up and lowered his head 90 degrees. And then he didn’t raise his head.
It was only after about 5 seconds that I realized his intention. It means that you will continue to pound my head until I give you permission.
Has something urgent happened?
Even so, as a commander of a force, he was quite a person with a lot of pride.
“Stop raising your head. Because I understand what the situation is like there. Even if it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to give you a way easily.”
[Apologies and thanks once again.]
Nikolai bowed again at a 90-degree angle.
“I’ve apologized, so just sit down.”
He obeyed me.
“Something happened? Either the village has evaporated, or something has gone wrong with the troops patrolling the area.”
[Exactly. Both happened.]
“How much damage is there?”
[Four small villages were destroyed, and two patrols were wiped out. But I don’t know the exact number or situation. Because it didn’t happen in our territory.]
“Is it Northern Siberia?”
I pointed out several suspicious villages and routes.
[How did you do that?!]
Nikolai was surprised by the accurate predictions made on the Korean Peninsula far below them.
[As expected, it’s amazing. From what I heard from other warlords I am in contact with, villages are disappearing one after another in northern Siberia. Even an armed patrol came out to investigate. It was definitely not an easy feat.]
Due to Nikolai’s personality, he was on fire. I thought he had contacted me, but that wasn’t the case.
[That’s all I heard, but I sensed that this wasn’t an issue that could be easily overlooked. Now is the time to grab all the hands you can get and respond to potential threats. If it was the hand of the army that destroyed the Chinese army, there would be nothing more to say.]
Nikolai provided additional location information separate from what I had figured out. Artemis modified the route to advance north accordingly.
The problem is that the revised route, unlike before, has no choice but to cross the spheres of influence of various warlords in Russia.
“It is possible for our troops to be dispatched at any time, but I don’t think it will be possible to convince just one person.”
I told them about the difficulties and told them about the warlords on the route we had to pass through.
[I finished persuading them. I contacted them all night and somehow got their cooperation.]
“…!”
This time it was my turn to be surprised.
What he looked like was a stubborn bull, and he was quick to get things done with a refreshing apple.
The reason his face was pale was not because he was surprised by the incident, but because he had stayed up all night.
[I have no intention of asking for it for free. I don’t know if it will catch your eye, but please.]
He even handed over a list of supplies that could be provided as compensation.
It is a resource that can be used for general purposes such as oil, ammunition, food, and fur. It even included young women. Is this some kind of princess concept?
“I’ve never specifically asked for something like this?”
[It’s unfortunate that we need a lot of help, but they were rude during our first meeting. But if you ask me to come for free, what kind of person is that? In addition to this, we guarantee privileges in our area.]
Although Nikolai called himself nothing more than a soldier, he had the side of a politician who gave what he got.
Well, you have to have those qualities to be a warlord leader in this world.
[Will you help us?]
“No problem. Because it is easier to cut off the bud when it is just starting to sprout. Since we are close, there will be a lot of things to do in the future, so let’s get along well.”
I grinned and adjusted the panel. Then the screen splits in two.
On the left, Nikolai’s face appeared, nodding with a heavy expression, and on the right, a dark hangar appeared.
There, an army of machines was ready to go, their red eyes shining.
“Rather than accepting the compensation unilaterally, let’s take the form of exchange to some extent.”
There was also a bribe prepared here.
It’s no longer needed, but it’s worth it if it’s for the purpose of strengthening friendly relations with a capable warlord with whom you can communicate.
“If I take all that money, you and your subordinates will feel bad about it.”
Nikolai burst out laughing.
[Life isn’t really a waste. He is doing his job as a soldier.]
“So I’m asking you to get more.”
I laughed as much as him.
