Long Live the King (5)
Long live the king (5) —
Kakakakang. Gripping the steering wheel, I listened to the distant, faint sound of gunshots. The fuel tank was full. I’d topped off the spare jerrycans with diesel too. Would it be enough? I wasn’t sure where I could scrounge more if we ran out. My sister’s voice slipped into the gap between my thoughts.
“Oppa, what are we gonna do?”
We’d grabbed all kinds of stuff. Rifles, pistols, shotguns, ammo, even a few damaged exoskeletons. Every single piece was too valuable to leave behind. But right now, we didn’t have the luxury of sorting through it all. The situation was a total shitshow. Gunfire echoed from every direction, screams rang out, and zombies sprinted across the parking lot chasing after people. Watching it all unfold, I asked myself what the best move was—what the smartest response would be.
I wasn’t some hero. The survival and happiness of the many didn’t matter as much as mine. And if I wanted any chance at a happy future, firepower wasn’t optional. It was mandatory. No matter how the world ended up, our current level wasn’t enough to take on the military. Even with exoskeletons boosting our strength, a bullet to the head would still kill us—especially if the helmet was missing or already broken. So the best choice was obvious.
“We’re taking the pickup.”
We needed more ammo and gear. We also had to retrieve our original pickup and transfer everything over. Fuck. If I’d known it would come to this, I never would’ve driven our truck here in the first place. If we’d left it at the pension, we could’ve just grabbed a new vehicle, hit the armory, and rolled out. Whatever. I’d just make sure not to repeat the mistake next time. Shoving the regret aside, I started the engine and drove.
The scenes flashing past were straight out of hell. People running for their lives, zombies on their heels, and anyone caught screaming as they were torn apart. A few tried swinging weapons at the undead, but without the physical ability or skill Kang Ahyeon and I had, it was pointless. Even we could get bitten if we got careless. Normal people had no chance of lasting long out in the open.
I watched someone struggling through the windshield.
“Aaaagh—!”
Surrounded, attacked from behind, and finished off the moment they swung their weapon. Our truck tore through the parking lot, crushing fallen bodies and zombies alike beneath the tires. The pickup was getting closer.
“Oppa, our truck!”
Our black pickup sat untouched not far away. The supplies were still there, but who knew how long that would last.
“Kang Ahyeon!”
At my shout, my sister raised her rifle. The guards’ rifles were better than ours, but we didn’t have time to swap. Even if we did, it would have to wait until this whole mess was over. I gripped the wheel, shifted gears, floored the accelerator, then slammed the brakes while cranking the steering. The truck drifted hard and skidded to a stop right in front of our pickup. I threw open the door, aimed at the zombies visible in the rearview mirror, and shouted.
“Shoot!”
Kakakakakakakakang! I pulled the trigger, sending round after round into the zombies. Eyes, heads, and necks burst as they dropped. “Kang Ahyeon, cover me! I’ll move the stuff!”
“A-ah, okay!”
I dropped the tailgate, sprinted to the pickup, and started hauling gear. Our entire stockpile of equipment and supplies was still there. Kakakakakakang! Gunfire rang out as I moved as much as I could. Thankfully, my enhanced strength combined with the exoskeleton made it possible.
“I got it all loaded!”
“Already?!”
“Yeah, so—”
No. Not quite. One thing was still missing. The moment I looked at Ahyeon’s face, it hit me. I glanced at her still shooting zombies, then grabbed the item from the passenger seat and tossed it under the driver’s seat of the new truck.
“Now it’s all loaded! Let’s go!”
“Where to?!”
I turned toward the resort. The decision didn’t take long.
“The armory!”
“Okay!”
With my sister smiling brightly, I drove. The engine roared as I accelerated, the truck speeding forward.
“What exactly are you planning?!” she shouted.
I recalled the layout. The pool was on the first floor. The lounge was above it, accessible by stairs from the pool. The VIP storage room in the security building was right next to it. And the pool was enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Close the windows!”
“Huh?”
“I’m ramming it!”
“E-eh?!”
I shifted gears and floored the accelerator. The engine howled. “E-eek—!” My sister’s cute scream accompanied the truck smashing through the pool’s glass wall and skidding inside.
“Nngh…!”
Hearing her gritted voice, I cranked the wheel hard. The truck slid across the linoleum tiles, changed direction just before plunging into the pool, and came to a stop facing the stairs to the second floor. I unlocked the tailgate.
“Out!”
With the truck blocking the stairs, Ahyeon jumped out first and I followed. We opened fire on the zombies rounding the corner, rifles blazing. Kakakakakakakang! Zombies dropped, riddled with bullets. One pushed through the fallen and lunged, jaws snapping. I raised my left arm to block, then twisted and hurled it away like a ragdoll. The zombie slammed into a sculpture resembling a woman’s body and split in half before splashing into the pool. Splash! The sculpture wobbled, then toppled in after it. Whooooosh! A pillar of water erupted as we ran, trampling crushed zombies beneath our feet.
We sprinted up the stairs, shooting, throwing, pulling, and kicking zombies apart. At last, we reached it.
“Oppa! Over here!”
The armory we’d visited once before. The door stood open, rifles scattered across the floor from a hasty grab. Ammo crates lay open, magazines discarded. The situation had been urgent. Zombies had poured in. The soldiers must have come here to grab whatever they could. No time for careful selection. The only things left untouched were ammo crates and grenade crates. Still, that was more than enough.
“Kang Ahyeon!”
“Y-yeah!”
“Stop spacing out and—”
What was the most efficient way? Our marksmanship was about equal. I had the edge at close range, but making her carry while I shot felt like a bad call. A 162cm girl could only haul so much anyway. And if she carried a big crate, her vision would be blocked. An exoskeleton didn’t make you invincible. One bite and you were a zombie. Then I’d have no one covering me. Yeah. This was the right call. I had longer limbs. I could carry more. The decision was quick. I spotted a pallet on the floor and tied some random straps to its sides.
“Cover me!”
“A’right!”
I stacked four plastic crates and one wooden crate on top.
[5.56x45mm Standard Ammo Wire-Bound Crate ×3]
└[Each crate contains 2 metal boxes of 1,680 rounds each.]
└[5.56x45mm Standard Ammo ×5,040]
[9x19mm Standard Ammo Wire-Bound Crate]
└[Each crate contains 2 metal boxes of 1,440 rounds each.]
└[9x19mm Standard Ammo ×2,880]
[Standard Fragmentation Grenade Wooden Ammo Crate]
└[Standard Fragmentation Grenades ×30]
Among what remained, these were the ones with no signs of being opened. I wasn’t about to haul junk.
“You got everything?!”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
“A’right! You better keep up!”
Ahyeon took the lead. Her assault rifle spat fire, and the heads of zombies emerging into the hallway burst one after another. I finally understood what I was seeing—her marksmanship, far beyond any normal grade. It was an application of Resonance.
[※ What is Resonance?]
[It resonates with emotions directed toward you or your blood relative. Additionally, when your blood relative completes a quest, you receive the reward together.]
[This skill does not grow.]
[Rewards received are transformed to suit you.]
Emotion. And if hostility counted as emotion, then Ahyeon could detect the positions of those targeting her and return fire. The guards had been picked off one by one the moment they left cover with hostile intent. Zombies were no different. In that sense, she was a one-woman killing zone capable of doing the work of several people.
Ha. What a broken ability. But right now, I was damn glad that broken ability was on my side. Kakakakakakang, click! Her rifle, angled low, spat fire. Zombies dropped in waves until the magazine ran dry, then she switched to the automatic pistol taken from the guards. Bang, tatatatatang! Zombies tumbled down the stairs, holes in their heads. I passed her, opened the tailgate, and slid the ammo crates from the pallet into the truck bed.
“Everything’s loaded! Get in!”
A fresh wave of zombies charged. I calmly pulled the shotgun from my back and aimed low—at their legs. Even if it didn’t kill them, it would cripple their mobility. Boom, kwaaaaaang! The double-barreled shotgun roared twice, sending zombies with missing legs sprawling. I followed up with the rifle on the ones still coming. Kakakakakakakakang! I kept firing, glancing at the eerie lower-half-only sculpture as I pulled the trigger. Finally, I had enough time to climb in and hit the accelerator.
“Go!”
Guuuuooooong! The engine let out a deep roar and surged forward. Kwaaaang! We smashed through zombies in our path, sending them flying into walls, and crushed fallen bodies beneath the tires. Built for the Rapture, the truck’s wheels kept turning even as they smeared blood and flesh, never popping or getting jammed. Instead, they ground against the tiles with a screech as we accelerated. Jjaaaang! At the end of the hall, the truck smashed through another glass wall and slid down the slope outside.
Death bloomed across the resort island. Sometimes red, sometimes crimson. Soldiers and civilians fought desperately to survive. We were no different. Ggggrrrk, guuuuooooong! The sliding truck accelerated again. Kwaaaang! We plowed through more zombies blocking our path and kept going without stopping. We crossed the fields, passed the Exodus Arcadia banner, and drove on.
[Escape from your daily life! Come to Exodus Arcadia!]
So “escape” meant death, huh. I smirked and kept driving. The road stretched out beyond the resort parking lot. I swerved around stopped cars, straightened out, and pushed forward. That’s when it happened.
Tutututututututu—
“Ah.”
The sudden sound made me look up at my sister’s sigh-like murmur. A helicopter was rising urgently above Exodus Arcadia.
“Huh.”
The South Korean flag and the words “Republic of Korea” were emblazoned on its side. Long fuselage. I recognized it instantly. The presidential helicopter. But the president was already dead. Before I could even process the confusion, the helicopter climbed higher, wobbled precariously, then—
“E-eh?!”
Wheeeeeeeng, kwaaaaaang! Krrrrrrk, kwaaaang! It slammed straight into the resort wall and exploded, just as it had been teetering. Shards of the helicopter sprayed out like grenade fragments. I yanked the wheel hard as one piece flew toward us, embedding itself where we’d just been. Kwaaaang!
“Fuck…!”
Luckily, nothing else followed. Rocks flew, and flames erupted from somewhere inside the wreckage. The broken rotor blade dangled, spun, and jerked to a stop repeatedly. Then—
“…Ah!”
My sister, who’d been staring blankly, let out a shocked gasp.
“What? What is it?!”
“A-ah, no, it’s nothing…”
She glanced at me, her voice dripping with regret and sadness. Unease made me look at her.
“What? Spit it out. If it’s important—”
“N-no, it’s not important… It’s just… I couldn’t bring my cat doll…”
The cat doll. The comfort item she always hugged, clung to, and slept with. The one she’d cherished since she was three. We’d left it in the pickup—right in the passenger seat. My mouth opened, then I sighed. You idiot. If it was that precious, you should’ve kept it in your bag. Why’d you leave it behind… But strangely, my heart felt lighter. I reached under the driver’s seat.
“…You mean this?”
“My meow-meow!”
I tossed it to her. She caught it with a bright smile and hugged it tight, rubbing her face against it like she’d never been upset at all.
“You brought it…?”
Those teary eyes made my resolve crumble. When my resolve crumbled, my human hardness dropped. I forced a snort.
“I just saw it and grabbed it on a whim, so don’t get the wrong idea. If it’s that important, take better care of it. You’re a smart kid, but sometimes you’re so stupid—”
Even as I scolded her, she just smiled brightly, as dumbly as ever. Seeing that, I lost all desire to keep lecturing.
“…Forget it. I’m done talking.”
With a wry chuckle, I drove on. Past the ruined checkpoint, across the bridge, out of Exodus Arcadia. Back into the world.