Chapter 6 – Early Stage of Infection
After taking control of the control room and gaining possession of the entire central region, the first thing they did was contain the infected.
It was the task of isolating the infected in several lumps by sequentially blocking the passages and entrances of each building.
Those in a difficult position were lured in using cargo drones.
There was quite a loss in the process, but if only the shelter is normalized, it can be printed as much as it is.
Artemis controls hundreds of cargo drones at the same time, and this tedious and exhausting containment work is perfectly underway.
In the meantime, I’ve been looking through the records, and there must be something helpful in the various communications and records left by survivors in the central region after the outbreak of infection.
I received the hot coffee brought by the cargo drone.
“Thank you, I’ll have a good drink.”
When I took a sip of coffee at the right temperature, warm but not hot, the bitter taste cleared my mind. Black coffee as always.
The drink Artemis makes is always like this. She hates my consumption of sugar or cream.
This is why the increase in secretions on my skin is unpleasant, so thank you very much.
Most of the log consisted of meaningless screams, lamentations, prayers, and requests for help, but Artemis filtered out all of them, so I was able to get information that would be helpful in understanding the situation to some extent.
Block 〈4 Supervisor, Kim Young-soo〉
Documentation 1.
Title: Epidemic Outbreak
At first I thought it was a false alarm. It’s common for firefighters to ring the emergency bell while conducting a safety check without prior notice.
So no one cares whether the alarm sounds or not, everyone does his job.
But when I heard an explosion from the lower area, I knew something was wrong.
Moments later I knew something was seriously wrong when I heard screams coming from all sides and the main gates to the three precincts went into emergency lockdown.
〈 end log〉
Block 〈4 Supervisor, Kim Young-soo〉
Documentation 2.
Title: An Infectious Disease?
This plague is not like an epidemic.
The plagues I know of mean coughing or skin rashes, not turning humans into monsters.
The calls and radio calls that were ringing like crazy from the lower part are now quiet.
They gathered as many workers in each block as possible and retreated to the control room, but what was the use?
We have no weapons, no food, no enough men. I’m not sure how long I can hold out.
All sorts of unbelievable stories and videos are circulating on the Internet as seen through smartphones.
Neither the police nor the fire department can be contacted.
The young man at the top is out of contact. The guy whose name is a temporary manager is on the verge of applying the huge supercomputer that was brought in a few days ago to the shelter.
He was said to be a famous system engineer from the special forces, but if he was here, something good would have happened.
Shit!
We are isolated
(End recording)
“Excluding things… I’m sorry, but I didn’t have a way.”
Linking the freshly enshrined Artemis to this gigantic shelter is not a task that can be completed in a day or two.
Until she secures her control, the facility operates according to the protocol set in advance by the operating system, but at the most vulnerable moment, such a super-sized accident broke out.
With my authority alone, there was no way to recover the emergency-blocked bulkheads and communications locked for security.
At the time the emergency containment protocol was implemented, I was working in the room where Artemis’ body was located, but the bulkhead in her room, which was the first priority to be protected, went down, and I was suddenly trapped.
It took four days to escape, and I almost starved to death.
[I will never forget the humiliation you gave me then.]
“It’s a menstrual phenomenon, what should I do?”
Of course, there was no bathroom, so I had to work on the floor next to her body, and I heard the AI screaming for the first time in my life.
[This means that urea and inorganic salts adhered to my body as the things you bought evaporated. How are you going to take responsibility for this?]
“Uh, um… Sorry.”
Come to think of it, maybe it was the wrong button on her first button that made her sensitive to human secretions.
Continuing to look at the following records:
〈 On-site medical officer, Oh Jae-won〉
Documentation 1.
Title: I’m Going Back
I really want to go back
I am a person who is there to deal with burns, frostbite, trauma, etc. That occurred at the work site, not to fix these nonsense.
Those with lacerated arms or legs are at least better off.
How the hell am I supposed to treat a man who has been brought in with his face half melted? I wasn’t even hurt by chemicals or anything like that.
That’s what happened when the bodily fluids of a monster that seemed like a nightmare came to pass.
I saw it with my own eyes, so I can’t even curse at you to stop talking bullshit. It’s all about relieving the pain by prescribing strong painkillers.
It’s been an hour since I was dispatched after dozing off in the duty room, and 15 people have already died.
The monsters are dragging the corpses we couldn’t collect somewhere.
(End recording)
Block 〈4 Supervisor, Kim Young-soo〉
Voice record 1.
“Save your firepower!”
(Cries of monsters)
“Captain, this seems to be working.”
“Of course it works! Are those bastards harder than reinforced concrete? Over there, crush that jerk’s head! “
(Excavator operating sound)
“When the whole flame tank is set on fire, stop there, and let the spearmen finish it. There is not much fuel. Spend it sparingly!”
“All right!”
(A terrible scream in a different tone than before.)
“What the fuck is that!”
(End recording)
“I think there must have been a particularly strong entity, but is there anything caught by the surveillance cameras?”
[Unable to confirm. There is too little information about the infectious agent. Based on the confirmed infectious agents so far, I don’t see anything that looks particularly dangerous.]
〈 On-site medical officer, Oh Jae-won〉
Documentation 2.
Title: It’s Over
It seems I’m the only one alive now.
Well, in a sense, those things that roam the outside are also doing life activities, so is that a bit wrong?
It’s been a week since the infection started and I’ve been confined to the infirmary.
I feel like I’m going crazy at the sound of monsters coming from all directions.
Compared to that, it might be better to listen to people screaming in the early stages of infection. At least it has humanity in it.
Ok? Have I finally turned around? What are you talking about?
All the workers who stayed until the last moment died.
They were truly courageous men. I shamelessly ran away with the excuse that I had to treat patients, but in the end I couldn’t save anyone.
As each day passes, it becomes more noisy outside. People who face each other every day… Are being reborn as different beings.
Among them, there was a guy I hated so much that I wanted to kill him, but when he came to me in a distorted form, tears flowed. It’s not because I’m afraid.
When I came to my senses after frantically running away, I was curled up in a dark corner, weeping.
I am reminded of the words of a survivor who escaped by a narrow car just before the blockade.
‘Hell is down there.’
How much time will I have left?
Hungry.
I am so hungry.
And sleepy
(End recording)
“……”
There were records that could give us a fragmentary understanding of what had happened here, but nothing of practical use.
[Come to the infirmary leading to the right entrance of the control room. I have something to look at.]
“What is the danger of infected?”
He said while gathering the weapons he had put down.
[Not within a 250 meter radius. Quarantine will end soon. The surroundings are safe.]
“Great. Keep up the quarantine work. I will go right now.”
There are three corpses waiting for me at the infirmary when I arrive. One of them had a half-dissolved face.
A cargo drone brought a document that appeared to be a patient profile.
“Patient, Kim Won-shik. Survived 220 minutes after injury. The direct cause of death was suffocation due to lung damage caused by toxic substances that passed through the airways.”
It was surprising that even after his face melted this much, he survived for 220 minutes.
“Can the substance that melted your face melt this too?”
I said, tapping my riot helmet.
[No. Residual component analysis showed no significant effect on polycarbonate. But don’t be discouraged. Because we can’t assume that all infected will be like that.]
The other two were men with holes pierced in the left chest and neck, respectively.
“Patient, Amir. Survived for 280 minutes. He avoided direct damage to the heart, but died of internal hemorrhage.”
It was a skin color that seemed to be of South Asian descent. Maybe leadern?
“Patient, Kim Tae-seop. Survive for 20 minutes. The cause of death was an airway injury. Intubation bought some time, but not enough.”
[Judging from the corpses and medical records we’ve found so far, the infectants aren’t sapient. However, it seems to have been programmed to some extent for combat.]
“Are you instinctively aiming for the vitals? It’s not just random attacks.”
Looking back, the corpses that were often found on the way were mostly injured in the left chest or neck.
[I recommend adding a padding to the neck of the riot gear. The aramid cover on the model you are wearing is not enough.]
“Okay. It’s about that level of repair. Thanks for the advice.”
Artemis is picky, but she doesn’t lose anything by listening to her. Except when she was about to be sent to the infirmary.
“How long do we have left to quarantine the infected?”
[About 40 minutes ahead.]
“Okay, let’s start as soon as we finish.”
So far, oddly enough, everything has been going well.
There were few battles, and it was a simple trouble to ambush and kill those who were in hibernation. But the journey ahead will be different.
The central area where there were only a handful of overtime workers and watch officers, and the lower area where all personnel were resting.
‘Hell is down there.’
A passage from a record I read a while ago kept ringing in my head.