63. Return to Origin (1)
63. Return to Origin (1)
Logistics Center base.
The checkpoint area, which used to have a mix of white and red lights, now only has white lights remaining.
ㅡBzzt
The radio still wouldn't connect.
ㅡGrrr
ㅡGrrr
Infected swaying back and forth.
Infected that looked like they were eating something.
Walkers, Runners.
They shouldn't have been able to breach this place with just those.
Though it would be possible if there were a massive quantity.
'...There sure are a lot, though.'
Strangely,
there were a lot of Infected.
There usually aren't many Infected around this Bugang-myeon Logistics Center area.
What the fuck happened here?
Did a Hunter come and breach it? Or did a Sentient legion come and breach it?
I got out of the vehicle and headed toward the front of the logistics center.
#
ㅡThud
ㅡThud
I shot the Infected in front with bullets.
The Infected fell as holes were quietly punched into their heads.
As I approached the 1st checkpoint, I could see signs that Claymores had been detonated.
I also saw corpses of Infected that had been completely shredded. However, there were just too many of them.
ㅡGrrr
ㅡGrrr
Infected sounds could be heard from the 2nd checkpoint, inside the logistics center, and even outside.
It's hard to even move.
I started clearing out the Infected by crumpling up a few bullets and nearby scrap metal.
ㅡCrunch
ㅡSquelch
The Infected fell in an instant without even being able to make a sound.
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
I roughly cleared the area and headed inside.
Then, a foul stench suddenly pierced my nose.
It was some kind of fucked-up smell I had never smelled before.
I've smelled it somewhere... right, I've smelled hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid before; it was a similar smell.
'I feel like I'm going to puke.'
A smell, huh.
I know one Infected related to smells.
Balloon.
Then did a Balloon come here and pop?
Fuck, I'd need to know what a Balloon is to guess.
Besides that.
'That should be impossible.'
They have a much better surveillance system than our base, so if a Balloon had come, they would have killed it from afar.
Because they have better systems, including drones and Area Surveillance abilities.
Though it would be possible if the Balloon were a powerful Infected, but the Lieutenant told me back then that Balloons have no attack capabilities.
'Or did it pop nearby and cause the Infected to swarm?'
That was a possibility.
Or maybe there was a problem with the surveillance system.
I walked while thinking that.
Not long after I started walking.
'...This is...'
A place that had been in my blind spot.
Behind the checkpoint,
I saw dead soldiers. Men wearing epaulets.
I killed the Runners that were eating the corpses and examined a Private First Class.
Entrails completely spilled out.
Signs of being attacked by multiple Infected.
Blood-stained military uniform.
There are no signs of a Hunter.
Is this possible?
'It is.'
The possibilities are infinite.
Because there are a huge number of Infected types.
Also, since Sentient Beings have high intelligence, there was a sufficient probability that they formed a united cluster and went out hunting for humans.
Or used a Balloon as bait.
I'll know when I go inside.
I quietly headed inside.
#
I needed to clear the way even when entering the interior along the 2nd checkpoint.
A mountain of countless corpses.
ㅡPing!
Walkers and Runners dropping dead one after another along with the sound of air being pierced.
Even though they fall in droves, there's no end to them.
The violence of sheer numbers is definitely fucked up.
But it still doesn't seem harder than a Hunter.
Of course, that's probably because I can deal with many of them without using firearms right now.
More than that.
'This won't do.'
The smell was getting worse.
It seems like something definitely popped.
I put on the gas mask I carried in my bag.
It's a gas mask that's incredibly comfortable and provides good visibility, just like the ones IN Company uses. It's a waste of a filter, but the smell is too bad.
ㅡTap
ㅡTap
The 2nd checkpoint is also completely wrecked.
This side was even more of a mess; looking at the barbed wire with chunks of flesh torn off and hanging on it, and the Walkers and Runners caught in front of it, it seems they pushed through with sheer numbers.
And... the inside of the logistics center visible from here.
'There are so many.'
The number of Infected was no joke.
Sheer numbers.
The swarming Infected had occupied the entire logistics center, and they were currently swaying back and forth as if resting.
The logistics center base itself looked completely ruined.
A military truck with its front wrecked from hitting a wall, and the corpses of civilians and soldiers who looked like they were dragged off it and killed.
The armored vehicles were at least intact, but there didn't seem to be anyone who had reached them.
'...It looks like they were caught completely off guard and breached.'
Infected that seemed to be sleeping.
Infected eating humans.
The inside of the logistics center, which had become a sea of blood.
And, I was able to discover the culprit behind this incident.
'That is...'
Between the logistics center buildings,
I saw something the size of two humans floating in the air.
The thing, with its whole body swollen and transparent, was floating in the air just like the name Balloon suggests; anyone would think it was a balloon.
I heard they had no attack capabilities.
'...It looks dangerous no matter how I look at it.'
Should I deal with it first and then think?
While hiding in a blind spot, I crumpled the exterior armor of an armored vehicle to create steel bars.
The steel bars, much harder than regular iron, flew into the sky and intercepted the Balloon.
ㅡSquelch
Following that,
the Balloon literally popped like a balloon.
ㅡ!!!!!!!!!!
Then, a loud roar rang out.
A roar like a bomb going off rang out.
ㅡSwoosh
Then, the liquid in the Balloon's body splattered everywhere. Fortunately, looking at the Infected and corpses, it didn't seem to be a problem, but I avoided it just in case, thinking I shouldn't get it on me for no reason.
'Oh, fuck.'
Perhaps because the sound was so loud, all the swaying Infected woke up.
Of course, maybe because the sound rang out from above in the air, the Infected lost their way and just shrieked.
ㅡKieeeek!
ㅡKieek!
Walkers and Runners throwing a massive tantrum.
The bigger problem was the two remaining Balloons floating on the ceiling of the logistics center. The ones above the logistics center were floating there with grotesque faces, unbothered by the noise; it would be better to deal with those first.
'And then wipe this place clean.'
I'll have to search the inside.
With that, the loud roar rang out two more times.
#
However, my plan went awry from the start.
Because Runners and Walkers started swarming in from somewhere outside.
'......'
Balloon.
It seems those things definitely play the role of gathering Infected.
'The Lieutenant's group couldn't have not known about this.'
Inside the checkpoint.
I quietly waited in the blood-splattered checkpoint.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kieek!"
Infected running madly toward the entrance and over the walls. The Infected that kept swarming as time passed eventually subsided.
It seems the Balloon is a creature that brings a whole bunch of Walkers and Runners from the surrounding area.
A Balloon that gathers Walkers and Runners was quite tricky.
Should I call it a superior version of a Siren?
That's why they could have wiped out a place that was defending a base like this.
'Did a Balloon pop by mistake, and they all swarmed from there?'
I don't know the exact reason.
If I had been here, maybe.
I didn't know the only survivor base I trusted and relied on would get wrecked like this.
The gathering Infected.
However, I could stop Walkers and Runners, no matter how many swarmed.
I started clearing the surroundings while holding my rifle.
ㅡCrunch
Infected getting smashed by steel bars.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kieek!"
I started clearing them quietly, but the sound of the monsters falling, and the Walkers and Runners seeing that, made them go absolutely berserk.
Especially
ㅡBang!
Using steel bars naturally meant noise was unavoidable.
But it was different from dealing with them when they were swarming earlier.
Because there's a difference between dealing with ones gathering due to sound and dealing with ones that have fallen asleep after gathering.
"Kieek!"
Anyway, the all-out war began.
ㅡRat-a-tat-tat
ㅡRat-a-tat
Walkers and Runners swarming from all directions.
'Because of these guys.'
That this place was ruined, fuck.
One day without contact and it ends up like this.
"......"
The further I went inside, the more of a spectacle it was.
Fitting for a place ruined purely by the sheer numbers of Walkers and Runners, the corpses were so gruesome they were unrecognizable. They were wearing military uniforms, but the uniforms were also stained with blood,
and torn apart here and there, making them unrecognizable.
Of course, there were many Infected corpses too.
'......'
The three women I saved were here too.
I feel sorry for those women.
They went through all that trouble only to be dragged here and die.
Of course, that might not be the case. The incident happened here, and they might have left; the fact that the barricade behind the logistics center was open was proof of that.
'......'
I don't know.
Wherever they left to, it would be hard to meet them again.
First, I had to find out why this place was ruined.
ㅡGrrr
ㅡGrrr
Outside, Infected drawn by the Balloon were coming.
'Still, it would be better to take something with me.'
Originally, I was going to make a Contract with them, take things one by one, and stay on good terms, but since it turned out like this.
#
I smashed the Walkers and Runners.
And I went inside the logistics center building.
And, inside, I was able to find out what the ones who raided this place were.
Inside the logistics center.
Something with human faces.
I thought they were survivors, but they weren't.
'Sentient Beings.'
I saw Sentient Beings mixed in among the Walkers and Runners. They had Walkers and Runners surrounding them and were keeping a close watch on the outside; it seemed they had realized someone had come from the outside.
'They are definitely different from Walkers and Runners.'
There's a reason they give 4 EXP at lv.3.
They don't have vision sharing or anything, but the ones there moved just like people.
I also realized they were Sentient Beings when I saw that some of them had wounds on their necks or chests that a human couldn't possibly have. If they didn't have those, I would have mistaken them for humans.
'......'
Are they evolving?
Has their intelligence increased?
'Then, did the Sentient Beings gather and plan the fall of this place?'
Even bringing a Balloon?
There's nothing I can know.
I can't threaten the Infected, and they weren't talking either.
They were just harboring hostility toward me and controlling the Walkers and Runners below.
Sentient Beings of all ages and genders gathered together.
I'm not looking to have a good relationship with Sentient Beings, and they're enemies.
I quietly floated steel bars into the air. Above the heads of the identified Sentient Beings.
ㅡWhoosh
ㅡSquelch
A sound of something exploding was heard.
#
The Sentient Beings were intercepted.
However, there are still living Sentient Beings.
ㅡWhoosh
ㅡSquelch
ㅡCrunch
The steel bars flew again at a crazy speed, but the Sentient Beings hid among the Walkers and Runners to defend themselves. Of course, they couldn't block the steel bars.
Following that, the Walkers and Runners scattered in four directions and ran away.
I found the Sentient Beings among them and killed two.
Then I located the remaining Sentient Beings and intercepted them with steel bars.
ㅡSquelch
Flesh bursting.
'They're running away.'
What are they, Hunters? As soon as the Sentient Being dies, the Walkers and Runners just stand there, going "Kieee" and becoming stupid.
The Walkers and Runners, lacking intelligence, don't run away even if you kill them from the air; they are just drawn to it.
This means the Sentient Being gave the order.
Besides that...
'The footsteps of the ones coming from outside have also stopped.'
I can see the ones coming from the checkpoint ahead breaking apart.
It means it's true that the Sentient Beings led the Walkers and Runners here.
It seems like there's some kind of communication network between the Sentient Beings.
'A cluster?'
Balloon, Sentient Being, Walker, Runner.
It seemed like there was some kind of communication between the Sentient Beings.
'......'
I should have figured it out when I wrecked one elementary school in Bugang-myeon,
while I was distracted by the Hunter and Abomination, the Sentient Beings went absolutely crazy.
If they have that kind of intelligence, they would have the ability to raid human bases.
Especially a logistics center this big.
Because they could just pile up a swarm of Walkers and Runners to climb over a reasonably high wall.
'No, wait, back at the girls' high school, they also tested the waters a lot before entering.'
It's just that the IN Company members there were incredibly strong.
Perhaps because most of the people at this logistics center were civilians, the soldiers couldn't fight properly. They could have just abandoned all the civilians, but they were people they lived with, so how could they do that?
But there's still a question that isn't resolved.
This is the military.
It means it's sufficiently defensible unless something more than a Hunter comes.
While clearing out the Walkers and Runners, I approached the barracks.
The familiar military barracks where I first had a conversation with the Lieutenant.
ㅡCreak
This, no matter how I look at it, wasn't breached by just a Sentient cluster.
There must have been some problem inside, which is why it got wiped out along with the Sentient cluster.
The barracks here are like that,
and the entrance leading out to the back is like that.
The smashed entrance.
I glanced at that side and went into the barracks.
The familiar inside of the military barracks.
The corpse of Lieutenant Kim In-seop with a gunshot wound to the head.
'......'
That's what I thought.
There's no way this place would be raided by just Balloons, Walkers, and Runners. Something else must have happened for it to end up like this.