Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 008
Chapter Title: Zombie Research Lab
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From the situation inside the convenience store, it was clear what had happened.
A shattered door in the diagonal corner.
Four zombies in front of it.
Three of them were a family, including a middle-aged woman.
The last one was wearing a convenience store uniform.
These four zombies were tearing into a grandmother and another man.
Before I knew it, Ma Tae-beom was at my side.
"Why'd it turn out like this?"
"Someone went into the warehouse. There was a zombified store clerk in there. Look at the left wall."
Ma Tae-beom checked the blood-written 'zomb' characters.
"The clerk didn't want to harm anyone else, so they wrote the warning, went into the warehouse, and locked the door behind them."
Ma Tae-beom's analysis was spot on.
I was curious about his job.
"Nice deduction. You a detective?"
"What're we gonna do?"
"Take 'em out and move on."
"Let's go in."
Ma Tae-beom ignored my question.
Did he have some secret I wasn't supposed to know?
"Brothers! Let me show you how I take down zombies. You guys are the real deal fighters. Hit me with those super donations! You can't buy this kinda show!"
Song Seok-gu followed behind with his gimbal.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
-Kraaak!
Zombies baring their sharp fangs and glaring at me.
"Ma hyung, take the right."
"Got it."
I grabbed a utility knife from the display shelf and peeled off the plastic wrap.
Then I took out a soda can and hurled it hard at the floor.
Chaeng!
Two zombies showed interest.
I threw another one, and the zombies shifted direction, coming toward me.
-Kroaaak!
A female zombie leading the charge, staggering in a zigzag.
The middle-aged woman who'd begged me to take her along had turned into a zombie.
I'd had a bad feeling the moment she shoved past me into the store.
Of course, now she was just a lump of meat.
-Kuraaak!
A zombie charging fast.
Taak-!
An upward kick.
The zombie's jaw took the hit and it staggered, grabbing the shelf.
I pivoted on my left foot, twisting my waist into a calf kick.
The zombie crumpled after the strike to its shin.
Piuwoong-
An arrow pierced the forehead of the zombie behind it.
Ye Ji-ah had appeared.
-Kuhuhu!
The zombie flopped backward, and I immediately sliced its Achilles tendon.
-Krrrar!
Blood flowed redder than a rose.
-Dek dek dek
The female zombie kept clacking her teeth, making a grating noise.
Now it was time to finish off this woman—no, this filthy lump of meat.
The zombie struggled to rise, but its mangled ankle left it in an awkward stance.
Drdrdr-
The utility knife blade extended fully.
In one motion, I stabbed into the zombie's neck muscle and carved an 'M' shape.
Blood pumped from its heart like a bursting water balloon.
-Kuro... rruk
The zombie face-planted.
A flurry of arrow sounds made me glance sideways.
Three zombies had arrows through their heads, and one had its neck twisted a full turn.
The zombie facing away had eerie white eyes.
Ye Ji-ah approached and yanked the arrow from between its brows.
"Looks like you overcame your nausea."
"Huh?"
"Good job."
Ye Ji-ah moved to retrieve the arrows from the other zombies' heads.
As a nurse, she treated gruesome scenes like no big deal.
I walked over to Ma Tae-beom.
"Took 'em down barehanded."
"Easy with arrow cover from behind. Let's get outta here."
It was bittersweet seeing the grandmother torn apart by zombies.
"Bro! People are starting to believe now. Check this out."
I looked at the camera.
Comments scrolling up.
Comments expressing disbelief at such a scene for the first time.
Building trust like this wasn't bad.
Oh Jong-seong came running up.
"Fuck! What the hell are you doing? Hurry to the resort!"
"Why the rush?"
"Fuck! I almost died back there!"
"You talk to the resort?"
"Park Section Chief says come quick, so we go."
"Let's roll."
I took the driver's seat.
Song Seok-gu blinked and sat shotgun.
"I'll drive."
"Car's fine."
"Huh?"
"Your mistake earlier."
"No way? I definitely hit the brakes."
"Rain's coming."
Rain poured down the windshield.
I leaned close to Song Seok-gu's ear and whispered low.
"Those people came because you ran your mouth. Ended up as zombie chow."
"Ah... Sorry."
"Everyone slips up. Just be careful next time. Mouth and feet."
"Got it."
The raindrops thickened.
Would Ju Kang believe me?
Yesterday on the phone, when I said a meteor would hit Gyeongju, he'd scoffed.
With the shelter over 70% done, backing out would be tough.
Still, persuading him was a task ahead.
"Bro, rain's getting heavier."
I scanned the road.
The sky was turning leaden gray, the rain drumming the ground like a requiem for the dead.
This place must've buzzed with workers' hammers once. Now it felt like a silent tomb.
Good thing I wasn't alone.
A year ago, I'd survived countless ordeals solo but failed to stop humanity's fall.
Now I needed a different approach.
Hence the heavy thoughts.
Haeundae Hanlight Resort.
This place, billed as Asia's largest resort, boasted four hotels with 1,500 rooms, a casino, dome arena, waterpark, golf course, shopping mall, and more.
Underground beneath the dome arena.
There was a bomb shelter here.
Roars of beasts echoed nonstop from the many compartments on basement level 3.
"Jeong Executive."
Park Section Chief's voice stopped Jeong Executive in the hallway.
Jeong Executive turned.
"What?"
"President's heading this way."
"Escape successful?"
"ETA 20 minutes. Six coming, two young women."
"How young?"
"Twenties."
"Good news."
Jeong Executive went to the compartment marked 'VIP'.
Through the small glass window, an elderly zombie.
Its limbs bound by chains fixed to the wall.
A few strands of remaining hair, dark-cracked skin, murky gray eyes, deep wrinkles everywhere.
He was Hanlight Group Chairman Oh Han-gwang.
Park Section Chief asked,
"That woman failed?"
"Turned after 48 hours."
"So young women have potential."
"Higher estrogen receptor levels mean longer resistance so far. Need fast cell division, so young women are more promising."
"Chairman insists on breeding. What a mess."
"He loved raw meat and sashimi in life. Not saying he's dead now, of course."
Jeong Executive checked other compartments one by one.
Places holding zombies and test subjects.
Groans and screams leaked through the steel doors.
Park Section Chief said while looking inside,
"I don't get how you can cure this."
"Zombie virus triggers estrogen to accelerate cell division, causing DNA replication errors. Those mutant DNAs attack the zombie transformation factor."
"Ah, so women have higher immunity odds."
"Need one with super estrogen receptors. That'll give staying power."
"Aaaah! Save me! Please, save me!"
Turning around, a young woman was being dragged by two guards.
A test subject had arrived.
Kim Doctor, behind the guards, bowed to Jeong Executive.
"Low expectations for this one. Estrogen receptors abnormally high, but cancer patient. Activated T-cells will produce different mutant DNA."
"Try anything. Save the chairman first."
"Yes."
The woman was forced into the VIP compartment.
"Save me! Please! Please!"
She resisted, but couldn't overpower the burly guards gripping her arms.
Her neck approached the zombified Oh Han-gwang's mouth.
-Kwaaak!
Oh Han-gwang roared and bit her nape.
The guards yanked her back fast.
A chunk of flesh dropped, the woman gaping in terror.
Oh Han-gwang, unsatisfied with just a taste, bared fangs and gaped wide.
-Kroaaak!
The guards moved her to the opposite compartment and shut the door.
Jeong Executive and Kim Doctor watched through the glass.
"Hope for a miracle."
"Me too."
"How many female subjects left?"
"Two in 20s-30s. All staff."
"Hm."
Three minutes later, hopes crumbled.
Her skin paled, veins bulging above the nape.
Breathing quickened.
Then.
She bared newly sharpened fangs and roared.
-Kroaaaak!
Park Section Chief, watching from behind, said,
"Another failure."
"Fetch chairman's meal. Fresh."
"Yes."
As Park Section Chief left, Kim Doctor looked at Jeong Executive.
"Executive."
"What?"
"Need more young women. Over 40 useless."
"Not easy. Fewer return from hunts. Might not hold this place."
"How long can we last?"
"Two months easy."
"Then what?"
"Kim Doctor, focus on saving chairman."
"Yes."
Kim Doctor's face darkened.
Who'd think zombies would hit the golf course and bite Oh Han-gwang.
Curing him meant riches, but all failures so far.
Zombie factor too strong.
Jeong Executive asked,
"Men have zero chance?"
"Estrogen activation key. Men just endure, useless."
"Immune found, curable?"
"Full recovery possible. Fuji data not come through?"
Jeong Executive scowled.
"Probably sunk with the ship. No real data. Just estrogen suppressing virus confirmed."
"If Fuji erupted a year later, vaccine done. Shame."
"Priority's saving chairman."
"Best effort."
Jeong Executive rubbed his chin in thought.
Park Section Chief came running down.
"Executive, president's here."
"Good. Two women—Kim Doctor, prep experiments."
"Yes."
Kim Doctor had a good feeling.
Hoping it panned out, he headed to the second-floor lab.