60. Nest (2)
60. Nest (2)
One armored vehicle, one military truck.
The five people in the lead rode in the armored vehicle, while I and the remaining people, including Sergeant Park Jae-ho, rode in the back.
It's pretty spacious.
'Well, they did say there were only 15 of us.'
-Clunk
-Static
The radio rang out.
-Walker and Runner horde ahead. Engaging.
"Do you need support?"
-Looks like we can handle it on our own. Just check the rear.
"Copy."
-Rat-tat-tat!
Gunshots rang out.
As that was happening, Sergeant Park Jae-ho started briefing me.
"Currently, the status of the 15 members of the 1st Platoon, including Sergeant Han Jun-seo, who entered the Bugang-myeon Traditional Market, is unknown. They disappeared around 2:00 AM, and communication has been down since 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00."
It's almost 5:00 AM now.
It's still dark, but the sun will rise soon.
"According to drone reconnaissance, no Infected other than Crawlers, Sirens, Mirrors, Walkers, Runners, and Sentients have been confirmed inside Bugang-myeon. The last communication with Sergeant Han Jun-seo was at 2:00, where he reported finding a Crawler making strange noises and that he was currently killing it."
"So that's the traditional market. And about that 'strange' Crawler, I assume it looks similar to a regular Crawler?"
"Yes. It seems Sergeant Han Jun-seo heard something there and led his troops. Jun-seo's ability is Hearing Enhancement, after all."
Hearing Enhancement.
A 20-percentile ability.
"Are there any others like that here?"
"Corporal Kim Seong-il over there has Vision Enhancement, and the rest are all Strength or Stamina."
"Corporal Kim Seong-il?"
"That's me."
A plain-looking man in the back raised his hand.
"Seong-il, can you see anything from here?"
-Thud
The man stood up, grabbing the back of the truck.
He took a quick look and sat back down.
"Doesn't look like anything."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
They're a Sergeant and a Corporal, but it looks like they decided to be friends. Well, military rank doesn't mean much anymore anyway.
"Then what about that 1st Platoon?"
"Except for Han Jun-seo, the 1st Platoon is all Strength and Stamina. Same for us, except for me and Seong-il."
"I see."
So it's safe to assume they fought using mostly modern weapons.
"So they just suddenly disappeared while doing the usual."
"Correct. Contact was lost at 3:00, and we kept trying to communicate, but contact remained lost until 4:00."
"...Don't you think they're all dead?"
"That's why we were originally planning to retreat."
But the Second Lieutenant told us to wait.
I don't know if that was to call me, though.
-Static
As that was happening, a radio transmission came from the front.
-Target location confirmed.
"Copy. Park at the entrance and wait."
-Copy.
"Anyway, so we're planning to split the 2nd Platoon into two groups: 5 will wait outside in the armored vehicle, and the remaining 10 will enter."
"Understood."
"Alright, let's get off, everyone."
Arrived at the traditional market.
A large banner that said Bugang Traditional Market.
Flesh protruding from various places on the walls.
The inside was entirely red.
The floor was red, the sides were red.
It didn't look very pleasant inside, almost as if a red human bomb had gone off.
A soldier's voice was heard from behind.
"I feel like we're just gonna die if we go in there."
"Tell me about it."
Sergeant Park Jae-ho agreed.
"But we still have to go."
-Static
"Only those inside the armored vehicle stay, everyone else in three columns."
People gathering and dispersing.
As that was happening, Park Jae-ho said.
"I'll stand at the back, which is the most dangerous. Yu-seong-ssi, please take the center."
I shook my head.
"I'll stand at the back."
"Pardon?"
"Wait a second."
I pulled out rebar from nearby scrapped cars and buildings.
Suddenly, a soldier's voice was heard.
"Holy shit."
Seeing him, Park Jae-ho said.
"I think it's best if Yu-seong-ssi takes the back."
Formation set in 3-3-3-2.
Park Jae-ho at the very front said.
"Entering."
"Yes."
"Let's go."
We headed inside.
#
-Squish
-Squish
Strange, flesh-like things were being stepped on on the floor.
In the quiet space, we illuminated the interior mainly with our gun muzzles and flashlights.
Park Jae-ho was at the front, and I was at the back.
For now, there was nothing to be seen.
Opened one empty room.
-Creak
I stopped the Sergeant who was about to say something and opened it.
The door frame folded completely.
"......"
"......"
But having survived for three months, we didn't get surprised anymore.
The Sergeant gestured.
A Private flew a drone inside.
"Nothing."
"Let's enter."
-Click
Entered the empty room with flashlights.
There was nothing inside. No people, no Infected, no corpses. Not even flesh.
"Hmm. This is strange."
"Let's check other places."
That's how we checked the market buildings in the front.
"Nothing in the empty room. Yu-seong-ssi, how about behind you?"
"Nothing behind me either."
"No Infected either... hmm..."
"Jae-ho."
However, the words were cut off by Corporal Kim Seong-il in front.
A serious voice speaking while looking at the corner ahead.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Something is weird here."
"Why?"
"This Bugang Market. I've been here a few times, and I see a few things that weren't here before. And that thing in the alley next to it, that wasn't blocked off originally."
"It wasn't blocked off?"
"That's what I mean, I don't know. If you look closely, it doesn't seem like much. Wait a second."
The man using his ability.
Vision Enhancement.
"Ah, fuck. Ah!"
"Why?"
"That..."
However, that was the moment Seong-il was about to say something.
The alley ahead.
-Clack
-Clack
Along with a strange sound, from between the flesh above, things with their whole bodies dyed red, even their eyes similar to Crawlers, were seen crawling on the walls.
Sergeant Park Jae-ho realized it immediately.
But it was too late.
Because countless monsters were flying at us, jumping.
"Kieeeeek!"
"Arghhh!"
-Rat-tat-tat!
Monsters with hooks on their hands from above fixed their hooks into two soldiers' shoulders and snatched them away.
Park Jae-ho almost got snatched too, but because his ability was Arm Enhancement, he instead grabbed the hook and tore it off.
Wow, what a badass.
As I was thinking that, Kim Seong-il screamed.
"Jae-ho!"
"Fuck, I'm fine, just shoot!"
"Arghhh!"
"Kill those bastards...!"
"They're kids!"
"Shoot them anyway!"
"Kill them! Kill them!"
"What the fuck...!"
Thwack! A rebar flew through the hesitating soldiers and pierced a monster's head.
-Splat
The soldiers fell to the floor. But the wounds were too big, and the bleeding was severe. No, it looked like they were already dead.
"Ugh..."
The two who were dragged away by the hooks and butchered to death.
But there was no time to think more.
"Kieeeeeeeek!"
Because monsters kept popping out from above, from the side, from behind.
They looked really similar to Crawlers.
Eyes glowing white.
Skinless bodies. But the difference is that unlike the sharp claws of Crawlers, these ones have hands in the form of hooks.
"They're coming from the side too! Maintain formation and shoot!"
"Kieeeek!"
"Shoot! Shoot!"
-Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Gunfire.
Flying rebar.
-Crunch
Bastards getting slammed into the wall.
Monsters falling after being hit by bullets.
Fortunately, the bullets and rebar were faster than the monsters coming at us, so there was no further damage. However.
"Fuck, how many of them are there!"
Like the soldier in the back shouted, there was a cockroach-like amount of them.
That means everything in front of us is monsters.
"Throw a grenade!"
-Boom!
-Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Gunshots rang out.
#
The battle ended for the time being.
In front of Bugang Traditional Market. We did some maintenance first.
"Ugh."
Two dead. Two injured.
Since we have first-aid kits, it doesn't look like they'll die for now.
One minor injury, one serious injury. The two decided to retreat for now.
The remaining personnel, including me, were seven.
-Static
"Two injured confirmed."
The personnel waiting outside confirmed the injured had arrived.
"Fuck. Is it right to keep going?"
"We have to. We used a lot of equipment."
"Hmm."
"Let's just scrape them all away as we move."
"Yes."
"If you see them, just shoot. Everyone."
That's how we moved.
-Rat-tat-tat
Continuing battle.
However, since we knew how they came, it was easy to respond.
How far did we advance like that?
After checking several market buildings, we found something inside a shopping arcade.
"There's something inside."
"Hmm. Yu-seong-ssi. Can you do it?"
"Yes."
I folded the door, and moved the folded door outside.
-Boom!
A loud noise.
But no bastards were drawn to it.
"Doesn't seem to be anything."
"Drone."
"Yep."
When we flew the drone, it was confirmed that there were no Infected inside.
Although there were some strange flesh-like things.
"Let's go."
"Yep."
And when we pushed our bodies in.
We realized what the flesh inside this building was.
"Ugh..."
"Fuck..."
It was all people.
The ceiling where human corpses were hung here and there. The interior where flesh was connected to make something like a nest.
'Eggs... are they?'
They were covering various places, including the walls.
And.
There weren't just people in the eggs.
"Kieeeeek!"
-Rat-tat-tat!
Even monsters kept popping out.
The interior that perfectly fits the word 'nest'.
Of course, it's a nest made of flesh and meat, not branches and leaves.
I narrowed my eyes, looking at the monster that had fallen to the floor with its head blown off.
"It's definitely not a Crawler."
-Thud
Park Jae-ho said, kicking the corpse.
"Yes. Those guys don't attack recklessly like this."
I guess so.
They're the type to test the waters a lot and then run away.
This seemed to be the nest of the hook guys. If I had to define it... maybe a Nest.
However, the response became easier as the day brightened.
Because the monsters that were hiding in the darkness were too visible in the brightened state.
-Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The burst fire kills the monsters.
-Crunch
The rebar sweeps through the building interior once.
It's certainly convenient.
After that, we were able to clean up the inside of the nest without difficulty. In the first place, the Infected themselves were about the level of Crawlers, excluding their surprise attacks and sheer numbers.
About five such buildings.
'In my current situation, they're easy.'
But not for the soldiers, I guess.
"Ah, fuck, it's a new Infected, I knew that."
"Because the appearance is similar."
Except for the hands, they're the same as Crawlers.
But the problem is that their nature is completely different.
"Hmm... another thing to report."
"That's right."
Like that.
-Rat-tat-tat!
-Kieeeeek!
-Boom!
As we cleaned up and went halfway in, we could know the fate of the 1st Platoon.
A market with rotten food on the floor like a traditional market.
Several people were contained inside a building that I couldn't tell what it was.
And.
"Jun-seo."
Park Jae-ho, with a bitter expression, ripped off the blood-stained name tag of a man who only had his upper body left inside the egg.
"......"
"......"
A Private approached from behind.
"10 missing personnel confirmed. 5 are not visible."
Park Jae-ho said in a low voice.
"Confirmed Jun-seo too. 4 left."
"Confirmed. Ugh."
"Feel like throwing up? I feel like throwing up too."
"Ugh, I'm fine."
"You can do it. Check the remaining places, sweep the building, and leave. You're not short on bullets, are you?"
"Yep. But, it's morning, will it be okay?"
"Can't be helped."
"That's true."
The sky was bright. Moving during the day wasn't very good, but it seems they intend to clean this place up properly.
"Let's go. Yu-seong-ssi, let's go too."
"Yes."
#
-Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Inside the building.
The monsters that couldn't ambush just died from the guns.
Their intelligence seems to be definitely lower than Crawlers.
No, even if they have intelligence, it would be right to say they are inferior to humans.
"Opening."
-Clack
A door crumpling from a distance.
The monsters coming out from inside occupied the front of the door in an instant.
However, there are no humans outside.
"Shoot!"
We cleaned it up by opening the door from a distance and cleaning the inside.
It's certainly easy during the day.
However, it would be more dangerous than Crawlers to face them at night. Crawlers would test the waters one or two at a time like beasts, so the damage would be small, but these guys swarm all at once.
'Plus, there are places like nests.'
The surrounding flesh was connected here and there as if it were alive, and it was encroaching on most of the market buildings.
Of course, that was over now too.
-Static
"Standby team. Any problems?"
-Static No problems. No Infected confirmed.
"Copy."
Originally, since Bugang Market has shops packed closely together, it would have taken a long time to open the doors.
However, thanks to my ability, that time was quickly reduced.
-Creak
Crumpling door.
-Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat
Gunfire.
"No reaction inside."
"Send the drone. Yu-seong-ssi."
"Yes."
-Creak
Opened the door and checked the inside with the drone.
"Nothing."
"Hmm."
Sergeant Park Jae-ho, who was checking the drone, made a strange expression. Kim Seong-il, who was behind him, asked.
"Jae-ho. Why?"
Park Jae-ho gestured with his hand without a word.
Moving people.
"Come here and look at this."
Jae-ho called Seong-il.
I also followed.
Inside the market building. Is it a real estate agent?
"......"
"......"
I looked at the bastards Park Jae-ho was pointing at.
This is... Walkers and Runners, and.
"It's a Sentient."
"Yes. Sentient. It's also a confirmed specimen."
He showed a slightly blurry photo.
Did he save the drone footage as a photo?
"Correct. This is the bastard that was leading the Walkers and Runners here."
"But you're saying that kind of bastard is here."
Sergeant Park nodded.
Killed specimen.
Sentient.
"Was this bastard controlling them?"
"No new Infected are visible in the vicinity. There are only some Walkers and Runners led by this guy inside this building."
That was true.
Only Walkers and Runners around.
"Are they mixed in?"
"Seems so. As expected, it's true that Infected don't attack each other."
"Then why did these bastards come in here?"
"I think they might have felt the situation around them and fled here. I don't think it's control."
"......"
Certainly.
It seemed possible.
But the ones I saw before didn't seem to have that much brain.
No.
Wait, no.
Didn't they say they were hiding when they attacked the logistics center before?
"Is their intelligence increasing?"
Now they even hide among other Infected to avoid being tracked.
"It's possible."
"Then is the objective here finished for now?"
"No. There are a few cluster specimens we confirmed remaining."
If it's a cluster
It means we couldn't kill all the Sentient clusters.
"So there are more."
"Yes."
"Then it would be better to pull out for now. We can check the rest with the drone."
"Yes, and... the damage is too great."
That's true.
Right now, 2 more people died on top of the 15 in the 1st Unit.
13 out of 30 left.
Kim Seong-il gave his opinion.
"But, you never know, can't we just sweep away the confirmed Walkers and Runners in this area?"
"I think we'll get fucked if we get greedy. It's daytime now. If they hear the gunshots and come from both directions, there's no answer."
"What if they come later? Besides, everything else besides this side is confirmed."
"That's true, but."
The conclusion came quickly.
Decided to ask the Second Lieutenant.
However, the Second Lieutenant also agreed with Sergeant Park. Since the damage is already too great, they decided to retreat.
The soldiers understood too.
Because everyone knows by now that Infected are dangerous during the day.
In the end, the subjugation of Bugang-myeon by the logistics center ended in failure.
We turned around.
"......"
A dozen or so soldiers were wiped out by the Infected.
Would these kinds of monsters only be here in the market?
I don't think so.
Even if we check with drones, there's a high probability they're hiding somewhere.
But we can't find any more anyway. We're short on manpower to begin with.
In the beginning, 80-90% of the military being wiped out while defenseless was too big.
'In the end, humans have been pushed back.'
Including Sentients.
Powerful Infected. Weak superpowers. Humans fighting each other.
Even in this situation, IN Company is only doing its own thing.
"......"
Got on the vehicle.
-Clunk
-Clunk
The atmosphere was down.
Well, 17 people died, so there's no answer.
"......"
"......"
-Clunk
-Clunk
-Town office confirmed.
"Surroundings?"
-None. No signs of barricade damage either.
"What does the Second Lieutenant say?"
-Contacted to retreat immediately.
"Copy. Moving to the logistics center immediately."
-Copy.
A bitter ending.
We passed the town office and headed to the logistics center.
The sky was terribly clear.