All Are Zombies
"Why does he have to go around in circles like this?" Owl grumbled.
The only thing I couldn't store among my possessions was the owl doll. Since it wasn't a zombie, it couldn't be stored, and its power was too great to fit comfortably in the Filth Jar. So right now, the creature was being carried in my hand.
"What do you mean, going around in circles?"
[Why not just smash everything and turn them all into slaves? No need to waste time running around.]
As I'd felt before, Owl's thinking was shallow. Of course, as he said, I had the power to crush both the Eastern and Western forces. But would that truly be the ultimate benefit? This wasn't a game where every soldier who died in battle would return upon victory. Avoiding fights that could be avoided was the right answer.
"If we smash everything, we might lose valuable personnel or information. What do you plan to do about that?"
[Ah, um…]
As expected, he had no thoughts at all. I was both the operator of my forces and someone who had to consider the development of the Equator. From now on, Owl's opinions would be rejected without exception.
"If you're just going to say useless things, stay quiet."
Soon, the border came into view in the distance. Beyond it, in the direction of the plains, I could see numerous military facilities and troops deployed. They seemed to be resting after a battle. After briefly analyzing their formation, I spoke to Owl.
"If you're that bored, join the fight this time. It'll be the kind of situation you like—where you can just smash everything."
[Oh! I've been waiting for this!]
The fool took the bait without thinking. I could leave the most troublesome unit to Owl. Before the battle truly began, I summoned a seagull. If the warriors of the plains tried to seize an opportunity during the fight, it would only tire everyone out unnecessarily. It would be better to inform them of my arrival.
"Tell the chief of Valibol to prepare for victory."
I tied the Filth Jar to the seagull's back. Since I was sending a message anyway, it would be convenient to handle the Equator migration story at the same time.
"Delivering the king's command."
The seagull caught the wind and glided swiftly toward the warriors. Now it was time to annihilate the enemy in earnest.
The Eastern Bali subjugation force consisted of nine battalions in total: one Explosion Sword Battalion, three Artillery Battalions, and five Infantry Battalions. Among them, the Explosion Sword Battalion—with its ridiculous name—turned out to be the most dangerous. When I first heard about them, I'd thought what kind of idiots would have such a unit. But contrary to their name, the Explosion Sword Battalion was a unit that pursued extreme defense. It was true that they swung their swords to cause explosions. However, their true value lay in the armor that wrapped their entire bodies, allowing them to withstand the aftereffects without issue. It was the culmination of Eastern Bali alchemy.
Units that invested so heavily in defense were indeed troublesome to face with zombies. But there was no need to worry. Didn't I have someone who said they'd rampage in my place?
"You handle the Explosion Sword Battalion."
[Hmm… Then give me some of that alchemy armor or whatever it is. Since I'm helping!]
At least he wasn't a complete fool—Owl also knew that the Explosion Sword Battalion was the most dangerous. I readily agreed. Once alchemy was properly introduced, it would be applied to every item produced in the Equator anyway. If I could skip the Explosion Sword Battalion by handing over a few pieces while mass-producing hundreds per day, it would be a profit.
After telling Owl to wait for my signal, I threw him among the military supplies near the Explosion Sword Battalion. Since he looked like a doll anyway, no one would care even if he was discovered. After confirming Owl's landing, I slowly descended toward the command post. There was one person I wanted to talk to before the real battle began.
When I landed, the person appeared before me without me needing to search. The supreme commander of this subjugation force. The mustached policeman who had once threatened to throw me into the Underground Prison at the banquet hall. I greeted him cheerfully.
"It's been a while."
He looked at me in disbelief.
"You're insane. I already heard about what you did in the capital. You're currently wanted. I don't know how you reached the border so quickly, but surrender quietly."
Along with him, troops from all directions aimed their guns at me. I scratched my head.
"I don't understand. Why do you hate me so much? I saved the Prime Minister, secured information on West Teron before anyone else, and brought about the unification of the Southern Plains with my own abilities."
The mustache laughed deeply.
"What is this monster brat saying? You are inferior beings! It's only natural that you work for us. It's laughable that you expect credit for such trivial achievements. Kekeke."
At his words, the surrounding troops sneered. They mocked and condemned me, saying I was no different from West Teron's monsters. But I didn't feel particularly sad or angry. I was simply puzzled.
"A monster, huh… Technological advancement and biological evolution are both paths toward a better future, yet you reject one and accept the other. Don't you think that's contradictory?"
Click— He loaded his gun and pointed it at me.
"Everything is natural? Look at the results! West Teron's monsters lost to us. Our superiority has already been proven, so what good is your complaining? If you still don't understand, then here—taste the essence of technology."
Bang— A bullet flew and lodged in my shoulder. But the insufficiently developed technology couldn't penetrate my evolved skin. I brushed the bullet off my shoulder with my hand.
"I don't get it. I really don't… Do you just hate anything different? That's quite a narrow-minded way of thinking. Well, anyway. Since you attacked first, that means you're my enemy, right?"
"What the fu—"
Crunch— Baengnae burst out onto the supreme commander's shoulder and bit into his head. The sound of his skull being crushed echoed repeatedly from inside Baengnae's mouth.
Crunch, crunch— Crunch, crunch—
And zombies rose from all directions. Monkeys, bulls, wyverns, octopuses, fish, chimeras—did I even need to distinguish them? My zombies began to cover the world.
Since the topic of evolution came up, I might as well say this. Why did I become a Zombie Summoner? It was in a dark, cramped room where I met a small zombie. Back then, I simply thought I'd gained an interesting power and should use it to beat up bad guys. But since someone was asking about my direction, I should think about it.
All users had become some kind of summoner. Rats, golems, leopards, chameleons. And when they reached the sixth stage, they transcended. Among the countless traits they originally possessed, the most fundamental one would protrude and dominate the rest.
So if someone asked about my direction, I first had to define what a zombie was to me.
What is a zombie? A monstrous creature? An infection? Walking death? Maybe. But I thought of zombies as something with stronger vitality than anything else. The very attitude of overcoming death and repeatedly pursuing life even in the most extreme situations. The power to rise again and move forward after frustration and failure.
When a zombie bit a target, the virus would penetrate. The virus would imitate the target and acquire similar traits. And it would devour the existing cells. Eat and be eaten. Eat and be eaten again. After endlessly repeating imitation and predation, the zombie would become a new existence that included the original. The original hadn't disappeared. It had achieved the ultimate 'advancement.'
An endless obsession with progress. I defined that as 'zombie.'
That was why everyone looked like a zombie to me. Chimeras, golems, dark elves—every being struggling to live a better life was a zombie to me.
"How pitiful."
And everything that couldn't accept improvement and was being left behind was nothing more than our prey. Just like the ones before me now.
To mourn those who would be crushed and become nutrients for advancement, I added a command.
"Devour them all."
Those who rejected progress for their own gain became food for zombies.
***
I walked across the battlefield swarming with larvae and picked up the owl doll from the ground.
"Good work."
[Ugh…! These guys have no nutritional value. It's a total loss! Eight percent of the larvae were lost, but the amount I can recover by digesting these guys is only four percent.]
'You should've calculated properly before acting…'
"Considering the items I'll be sharing with you, it's not that big of a loss. Of course, I'll collect payment separately."
Owl was shocked.
[Why do 'sharing items' and 'collecting payment' coexist in the same sentence? I-I don't have anything!]
"Shut up and recover the larvae."
It was an obvious lie when I knew full well that Owl had a charm that bewitched people. Soon, the larvae crawled over and were stored away. I looked around to see if there was anything worth taking, then decided to discard everything. I found some meteorite stones among the Explosion Sword Battalion's supplies, but they weren't particularly tempting anymore. Taking them would only increase the workload.
I took off with only Owl in hand. It was time to go see the warriors of the Southern Plains.
Not long after, I discovered thirty warriors hiding behind a large rock. I landed on the rock and asked,
"What are you doing? The war is over."
One of them—a familiar face—stepped forward. It was the female warrior who had once guided me to the Red Pheasant.
"W-what happened? There were rumors that many monsters appeared in the enemy camp…"
"Monsters? You mean my zombies?"
"Ah…"
The Valibol warriors, who had already seen the zombie legion before, immediately understood what had happened.
"Guide me to where the chief is, pathfinder."
"Ah, yes."
I told the rest to come on their own and grabbed only the guide before soaring into the sky. We soon arrived at the grand conference hall. Without delay, I entered the tent where the chiefs were gathered.
Inside were Patel and the twins. Patel gave me a heads-up, saying she'd roughly explained the situation to the chiefs.
'I wonder what she told them…'
The chiefs in the tent were all looking at me with fearful eyes, unable to meet my gaze. It clearly hadn't been a normal explanation. Among them, only the chief of Valibol looked straight at me.
'Ah, that guy was here.'
I asked him,
"You heard the explanation?"
"Y-yes! I mean, yes, that's correct."
He also seemed to have been thoroughly intimidated by something. Patel must have scared the warriors with her ghostly aura. At my gesture to continue, the chief went on.
"Valibol will migrate to the island. It has been confirmed that the children you were protecting are Valibol's children. Valibol does not forget kindness."
'So they were from the south after all.'
I called the twins. They came running and hugged me.
"Do you see this uncle? He's a distant relative of yours. Want to go with him and meet the rest of your family?"
At my words, the twins' expressions brightened. It seemed Patel's terrifying 'explanation' had startled Fenil and Benil as well. I had the Valibol chief leave first. Then, looking at the remaining people, I said,
"I don't know what Patel said, but there's no coercion. Any tribe that wishes to stay can remain on the plains without any conditions. Give me your answer within an hour."
The conclusion didn't even take an hour. These were originally ambitious people. Among the countless tribes of the plains, they were the ones who had rushed over immediately upon hearing that unification was necessary. Only warriors willing to throw themselves into new challenges were here.
A large-scale migration began. Each tribe used the power of the zombies to move various creatures and grains from their original homes to the Equator. Thanks to this, the biodiversity of the Equator greatly improved. Not only for chimera purposes, but many animals that could be raised in the wild or domesticated had appeared.
Thus, about two days passed.
A secret police officer who had been scouting near the Eastern Bali border returned with an urgent message. The main Eastern Bali force that had finished conquering West Teron was now advancing toward us in earnest.
At those words, Owl shouted from beside me.
[Let's get out of the story quickly! They're coming!]
He was the one who had wanted to smash everything before, but after suffering a loss, his intelligence seemed to have increased slightly. And even without his urging, I had already planned to do so. After all, the migration had been completed today.
I headed to the Valibol area. Even though the twins had become chimeras, the minority tribes treated them as family without hesitation. The twins were receiving age-appropriate love and spending happy times.
"Kids, let's go."
The remaining people also began migrating into the Filth Jar one by one with their personal belongings. And finally, just before the twins entered, they ran to me. They hugged both sides of me and kissed my cheeks.
Smack— Smack—
"Fenil is happy."
"Benil is happy too."
"Good. Let's live happily from now on."
It might seem like a trivial reward compared to what they'd been through, but I was very satisfied. If these children had given up halfway, they wouldn't be here now. The twins were clearly excellent little zombies.
I gently placed the twin girls into the Filth Jar. The conflict was resolved. The reward had been received as well. Thus, I stored the Filth Jar while gazing at the slowly melting modern world.
'It was quite fun.'
I'd gathered everything I needed to gather. Now it was time to return to my own story.