26. Eunha General Hospital (1)
26. Eunha General Hospital (1)
How many times did we do it?
I saw Seo-yoon looking at me with a tired face, and Eun-bin looking hesitant in a similar manner.
I got up from my seat.
Seo-yoon yawned.
"Are you washing up?"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to sleep."
Seo-yoon was dragging her feet.
I asked her, as she was lingering.
"Without washing?"
"I have to wash when I wake up anyway."
That was true.
"Alright. Sleep."
"Oppa, you wash and sleep too."
"Yeah."
Seo-yoon went in naturally.
I watched her, then turned my head.
Eun-bin was mumbling to herself.
"Not tired?"
"......"
The woman lowered her head, her face flushed.
Well, she did have a front-row seat to the sex right next to us.
She let out a mumbled voice.
"...It was too loud."
"It wouldn't have been loud if you'd joined in."
"......"
Eun-bin hadn't actually barged in. The funny thing was, I had seen her hand twitching in the middle, and then she had been startled by it.
I looked at the brightening outside and said.
"You'll have to switch your days and nights from now on. You know those bastards are more active during the day, right?"
"...Yes."
"Make it so you sleep during the day and wake up at night."
"...Okay."
Right.
If they were still alive by now, it would be strange if they didn't know that.
"Go and sleep. Or wait for me to finish washing."
The woman bowed her head and went in.
I thought as I basked in the sunlight coming from outside.
It was about time to move.
It was time to house the women together, too.
I had wasted too much time doing useless things.
#
I came out after showering.
I summoned the Nexus Core.
===================================
Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv3[2/100]
===================================
Growth itself was stagnant.
So, to raise this, I had to catch a Siren or take down a new type of Infected.
'Food is becoming a problem, too.'
To put it bluntly, I might even have to make A-rin breed rats.
Or catch and raise something like guinea pigs.
Chickens would be best, but I need to have chickens to raise them.
To catch those, I have to go to the countryside.
My thoughts drifted for a moment.
I picked up a pen. In times like this, it's easier to organize thoughts by writing them down.
I'll cut numbers 3, 4, and 5. It's not the time to go there yet.
I'll postpone number 6. It's not urgent yet.
Then it's Mirae Middle School and Eunha General Hospital.
'Come to think of it, I haven't asked about it yet.'
I meant to ask for information about Mirae Middle School a week ago, but I'll just ask after I group the girls together.
#
I slept during the day and came out at night.
The night of February 28th.
I arrived at Eunha-go.
"U-um, you're here."
"Yeah. Where's A-rin?"
"U-um, she went to the bathroom for a moment."
Yun-ji welcomed me.
The woman who possesses the Arm Enhancement ability.
"U-uh... uh..."
"A-rin, sit here too."
"Ah. Yes."
I asked them a question.
"I have something I want to ask about Mirae Middle School."
I heard the story from Yun-ji and A-rin.
"So, it's not much different from what I already knew. About 50 people are living there, men went out to find food and sometimes didn't come back, and when you guys left, 2 men and 4 women were sent, and they were captured by Eunha-go. Is that right, based on my summary?"
"U-um, that's right."
"And no rescue or anything like that ever came, no military or reserve forces either."
"Yes."
If that's the case, it's not a place I necessarily need to go to.
"You said your families are all dead, too. How do you know?"
"...They didn't come back. They went out as part of the external team."
"I see. Where did you send the people?"
"I'm not sure about that. It was always, 'Let's go out and save as many as we can.' So... I think they probably went towards the nearby Green Fresh Market."
I suppose so.
However, unlike the people from Cheongju Elementary School, these people didn't know the first thing about superpowers.
That's why they followed me.
But...
Wait a minute.
I had seen corpses before. Fallen corpses. Corpses killed by gunfire.
That was after I destroyed Eunha-go, so the group with firearms, Eunha-go, hadn't killed them.
Eunha General Hospital, which is connected to a group like special forces.
If those bastards killed those people.
'......'
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
I pondered while spinning my crowbar.
I briefly thought about whether it was okay to get involved with such a group, but there were no proper groups left anyway.
Even if there were, they would be collapsing like Cheongju Elementary School or Eunha-go.
And looking at it last time, at most they had guns.
Guns, well.
'Then let's check out Mirae Middle School once, and then go to the hospital.'
#
I brought Yun-ji and A-rin.
A group of four women.
Of course, there's no problem.
"Make a contract."
Since I have Seo-yoon's ability. Can there be internal strife? I control things like that with the contract ability.
Of course, I don't use things like complete submission.
Prohibition of harm.
Prohibition of lying.
Well, I didn't force them to get along with each other. How can you force people to be friends?
The downside is that it has to be renewed every week. But a week isn't a short period.
"U-um, I'm Lee Seo-yoon."
"...I'm Eun-bin."
"I'm Han Yun-ji."
"I-I'm Jeong A-rin."
An awkward atmosphere flowed.
Well, so what if it's awkward? If you don't like it, you can leave.
"The room is small. Figure it out yourselves. Block the door. And answer well."
"Yes."
"Y-yes."
"Ah, I understand."
#
For now, I decided to leave them at Hope Villa.
It would be better to move them near Cheongju Elementary School, but there's no need to move them right now.
'When I move, I should take all the supplies from Eunha-go.'
I slipped out at night and headed to the underground mall.
'......'
Even when Cheongju Elementary School was around, there were at least people here, but now there are only Mirrors.
I don't know where they keep crawling out from, but no matter how many I kill, they keep appearing.
ㅡSnap
I crushed a Mirror's head and headed upward.
ㅡSquelch
ㅡSquelch
I walked on something sticky, whether it was flesh or blood.
ㅡCrack
ㅡThud
I headed upward, dealing with the Infected with a hammer and a kitchen knife.
I came out towards the Green Fresh Market direction.
A familiar scene.
I saw those special forces-like guys in the building next to this one last time.
In the distance. I can see Eunha General Hospital.
A gloomy hospital with the lights off.
From this direction...
If I go up instead of towards the hospital, Mirae Middle School appears.
I moved carefully, watching my surroundings.
#
On the way,
There were no Sirens.
No special Infected were visible either.
ㅡCrack
ㅡThud
ㅡGrrr
'Is this it?'
That's how I arrived at Mirae Middle School.
The shelter was centered around the school. Places like city halls had low walls, so they couldn't properly block the Infected.
In that sense, a school with walls was efficient for blocking the Infected.
'Because you can just block the entrance with a barricade like this.'
However, it was as if there were no people inside Mirae Middle School.
I couldn't feel any presence at all.
'Ugh.'
Since the barricades were made of wood, it was impossible to clear them with my ability.
I removed one of the high desks from the barricade.
Then I placed it next to the wall and climbed up.
'Damn it.'
ㅡTap
I dusted off my hands and headed inside.
A locked door.
ㅡClick
I picked it and entered.
I could feel traces of people inside. However, it had been a long time since everyone had disappeared.
I searched from the 1st floor to the 4th floor.
'No corpses.'
There was trash and traces.
It seemed like they had made a different choice than Cheongju Elementary School or Eunha-go.
'They all left.'
Whether rescue had come, or they had chosen to move on their own, it seemed they had done something.
Well, this group's food situation wasn't that good either.
Trash.
Rotting food waste.
Bloodstains.
Useless junk.
When I went to the back gate, the back gate was open. It seemed the group that had been at Mirae Middle School had all escaped through the back gate.
'......'
It must have been an unavoidable choice.
There was no reason to stay here when there was no food. They must have gone out to find their own way to survive.
The future of a group with few men and many women, and no superpowers at that, was obvious, but.
Well, whatever.
There wasn't anything here. I went outside.
#
I headed to Eunha General Hospital.
I turned back towards the Green Fresh Market.
I turned to the opposite side of the pharmacy where I had fled from the Siren before.
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
A night with a curved moon rising.
ㅡGrrr
ㅡGrrr
Walkers and Runners stumbling while sleeping.
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Eunha General Hospital, which was emitting a gloomy atmosphere ahead.
'I really don't want to go.'
But I have to.
Because those special forces-like guys with guns were there.
They came here from there, and they put an X mark at the Green Fresh Market and went somewhere.
I don't know what kind of bastards they are, not rescuing people like they're supposed to and just wandering around, but anyway.
If I go there, something will come up.
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
"Grrr."
"Grrr."
I moved upward quietly, taking the heads of the Infected.
ㅡWhoosh
ㅡCrunch
ㅡThud!
"Kieee."
It's definitely easier when there are no guys swarming because I'm not using guns.
Still, I had to block guys coming from blind spots, so I didn't let my guard down at all.
That's how I arrived at Eunha General Hospital on the outskirts of the city.
'......'
The lights were off here and there.
The + shaped hospital sign was stained black, as if the LED had gone out.
It seemed this place hadn't escaped the situation either, as there were several bloodstains inside.
'I really don't want to go in.'
I didn't want to go to a general hospital in the first place.
Because of that unique, gloomy atmosphere.
But a general hospital in a ruined world.
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
The entrance was quiet.
There were no Infected either.
'.......'
Well, I'll know when I go in.
I could see the way to the basement, the way to the emergency room, and the way to the main entrance.
I headed straight for the main entrance.
ㅡCreeeak
The main gate opened.
'......'
And what I saw was...