A Glitched Broadcast

I stared at him, my eyes wide. Kwak Han-muk frowned.

"Captain Mo might look like that, but she's actually a massive stickler for the rules. Unless she's infected, there's no way she wouldn't have made it to the Green Zone by now."

I understood Kwak Han-muk's point immediately.

Mo Hae-in was the type to prioritize regulations, and the Sidae Agency strongly recommended prioritizing regrouping with team members upon entering a trial.

Therefore, her primary objective would have been to meet up with us.

Even if she had encountered civilians caught in the trial, she likely wouldn't have acted alone.

Unless, of course, it was an absolutely unavoidable situation.

Hypothesizing a reason dire enough to prevent Mo Hae-in from entering the Green Zone, zombie infection was the first thing that came to my mind as well.

But one didn't become a Sidae Agency Team Leader for nothing.

She was more than capable of escaping even if she ran into a horde of Dead Zombies.

Kwak Han-muk seemed to be harboring the same doubts, lost in thought.

I asked cautiously, "Is it possible she ran into Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyeon-o?"

A clash might have occurred with Je Hyeon-o, who was notoriously hostile toward Adaptors.

At my suggestion, Kwak Han-muk let out a low groan. "Well... that's possible, but probably not. Lieutenant Colonel Je usually goes easy on us, in his own way."

"What do you mean by 'goes easy'?"

"Meaning he doesn't attack us."

"...Ah."

Indeed, even in the game, he didn't attack Sidae Agency personnel.

In any case, if she really had been bitten by a zombie, things were about to get complicated.

In Dead Zone Delivery, getting bitten by a zombie turned you into a Dead Zombie. Because of how dangerous they were, the golden rule for infected individuals in DeZonDil was immediate termination upon infection.

A True Ending would resolve it, but Je Hyeon-o is the wild card...

Since I didn't know what he had been up to here, I couldn't be absolutely certain of securing the True Ending.

As I was sorting through my tangled thoughts, an angry voice rang out.

"Do you have no intention of talking to us?!"

I had completely forgotten about the people standing in front of us. Belatedly, I turned my gaze back to the middle-aged man.

The Green Zone was home to about thirty survivors, including non-combatants like the elderly and children.

However, they were all terrified of stepping outside the Green Zone, valuing their own lives above all else.

With food supplies being scarce, it was only natural their eyes rolled back at the sight of my backpack stuffed to the brim with food.

I pulled out the salmon mayo rice ball—the one with the most unsettling item description—and tossed it over the iron gate.

At the sight of a single rice ball, the crowd swarmed like a pack of wild dogs.

The plastic wrapper tore completely open, separating the seaweed from the rice, but that didn't matter to them in the slightest.

Everyone scrambled frantically just to get a single grain of rice into their mouths.

"It's real food."

Hearing those words mumbled through mouths stuffed with rice, even the middle-aged man, who had been trying to maintain some semblance of dignity, could no longer hide his excitement.

If Kwak Han-muk and I were to unwrap a hot bar right now, they would probably faint on the spot.

I patted my backpack in front of their gleaming eyes.

"If you let us in for just a moment, I'll tell you where you can find more food. There's far more than this."

They exchanged glances for a long moment before finally opening the iron gate.

However, things didn't proceed peacefully. The middle-aged man, who seemed to be the leader of this Green Zone, cleared his throat repeatedly.

"Ahem. We shall accept you into our safe zone."

As Kwak Han-muk let out a scoff at the man's patronizing attitude, the leader spoke again.

"But first, hand over that backpack so we can share it."

The gun barrels pointed at us didn't budge.

They were acting tough, assuming that while we had managed to find food, we hadn't acquired any firearms.

Since I had fully anticipated this, I glanced at Kwak Han-muk.

He remembered the request I had made before we entered the Green Zone perfectly, and he executed his role flawlessly.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his varsity jacket, Kwak Han-muk spat out a curse.

"Ah, fuck's sake."

"What did you just say?"

"Oh, my bad. Your hearing must be shot."

In just a couple of strides, Kwak Han-muk closed the distance and leaned down toward the leader.

Tall and broad-shouldered, Kwak Han-muk possessed an imposing physique.

Intimidated, the leader unconsciously shrank back.

Looking down at him, Kwak Han-muk repeated his statement.

"I said this is fucking bullshit."

"W-What? You insolent little punk...!"

Just as the leader's face flushed crimson and he began to yell—

Kwak Han-muk pressed a handgun directly against his forehead. Feeling the cold, firm pressure of the muzzle, the leader froze instantly.

I spoke in a calm, even voice.

"We already have plenty of firearms. I'd rather not waste time on useless posturing."

Ziiip.

I unzipped the duffel bag, pulling it wide open.

After giving them a clear view of the handguns, submachine guns, ammunition, knives, and axes packed tightly inside, I asked, "Do you want to keep going?"

"N-No, well... I-I apologize... I suppose I was just a bit too anxious..."

The leader stammered out a half-hearted apology.

Since I had no intention of taking over the Green Zone, I accepted his apology and let it slide.

Kwak Han-muk strolled back to my side and took the duffel bag from me.

Since I had carried the luggage alone while he handled the zombies on our way here, Kwak Han-muk whined as he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder alongside his own backpack.

"I can't believe I let Hyeong-nim carry all the bags by himself."

It was incredibly awkward to keep being called "Hyeong-nim" by someone seven years older than me.

After telling him he could just call me Goyo, I explained our purpose for entering the Green Zone.

"There are items we need to retrieve from here."

We planned to establish the special task force's temporary base in the Yellow Zone.

Setting up a base as close to the Dead Zone as possible would minimize our travel time to the research laboratory.

To achieve that, we needed to sweep the Green Zone first and gather all the necessary items.

"Let's split up and loot."

Since we also had to search for Mo Hae-in, we needed to move faster than originally planned.

I listed the required items and their locations for Kwak Han-muk.

As he listened to the list, Kwak Han-muk raised an eyebrow at one particular item.

"That one is the most important," I emphasized.

To be honest, even I had to admit it sounded bizarre without any context.

But it was an absolutely crucial item for reaching the True Ending.

"I'm counting on you."

"Sure thing. If Hyeong-nim commands, I must obey."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"...I told you, you can just call me Goyo."

"If Goyo commands, I must obey."

"Right..."

We decided that Kwak Han-muk would check the elementary school—the survivor shelter—while I investigated the broadcasting station located within the Green Zone.

The broadcasting station wasn't very far from the elementary school, so going alone was perfectly fine. Besides, the Green Zone was relatively safe.

After sending Kwak Han-muk into the elementary school loaded with the backpack and duffel bag, I headed toward the broadcasting station.

Since the city wasn't very large, the broadcasting station building was rather modest.

If not for the tall transmission tower rising above the roof, I wouldn't have even recognized it as a broadcasting station.

The eerie atmosphere typical of abandoned buildings blended with the darkness of the night, casting a chilling vibe.

I stepped inside with quick strides.

Tring! A system window popped up.

...And then it vanished before it could fully load.

What on earth was this?

I waited for the system window to reappear for a moment.

The rectangular box kept flickering on and off, as if locked in some invisible tug-of-war.

Then, with a sudden pop, the system window burst into view.

...The tone felt completely different.

The content was bizarre, too.

So, what exactly is the quest?

Maybe it was just to explore the broadcasting station, but that was weird in its own right.

Because such a quest didn't exist in Dead Zone Delivery.

While I usually enjoyed discovering new elements that weren't in the original game, this left a bad taste in my mouth.

For now, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I decided to ignore it, assuming the system had briefly lost its mind.

I didn't have the luxury of obsessing over this. I needed to grab the items quickly and find Mo Hae-in.

The broadcasting station was no exception to the zombie outbreak; the interior was a total disaster zone.

Passing through the silent lobby, I stepped into the hallway. The building was pitch-black, with not even a sliver of moonlight filtering inside.

The layout of the broadcasting station was complex, but since I had practically lived here in the game, navigating it was a breeze.

Relying solely on the beam of my flashlight, I made my way toward the emergency exit stairs.

Just as I was about to turn the corner of the hallway—

"Kraaaagh!"

A zombie with tattered flesh lunged out.

I wasn't the type to get easily startled by jump scares. I calmly swung the baseball bat in my hand.

Crack!

The zombie was sent flying by the impact of the bat.

Since it was a Green Zone zombie, handling a single one was no trouble at all, even at night.

Leaving the twitching creature behind, I searched for the emergency stairs.

"...Hmm."

However, something was off about the area around the emergency exit door.

Along the hallway, a long row of emergency exit signs featuring the green running pictogram man was lined up.

But the direction he was running was bizarre.

Instead of pointing toward the emergency stairs, they were all facing the exact opposite direction.

It was an unsettling sight, but I had no choice. I walked in the direction opposite to where the green pictogram man was running.

Upon entering the stairwell, a peculiar floor indicator caught my eye first.

I stared intently at the sign.

This is another element that wasn't in the game.

In the game, it was just an ordinary emergency exit. There were no rows of reversed exit signs or bizarre smiley face indicators.

And that made perfect sense.

Because this is a zombie game.

This kind of thing didn't fit a zombie apocalypse setting. It wasn't something you'd expect to see in Dead Zone Delivery.

Unless it was something like Happy Smile Factory...

Clutching the baseball bat tightly, I cracked the emergency exit door open.

The beam of my flashlight stretched down the hallway beyond the door. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I cautiously stepped onto the sixth floor.

And for the 6th floor, the sign was different.

On the way up, it had been a smiling face, but upon reaching the 6th floor, it became a crying face. Moreover, the next floor was indicated as the 99th floor.

Among the three studios located on the sixth floor, I searched for the news studio.

The door was wide open, and the interior was in shambles—clear evidence of a frantic escape.

Dried bloodstains were splattered across news scripts scattered all over the floor.

Stepping over a broadcast camera that had toppled onto the floor, I headed toward the monitoring booth.

I needed to find the Security USB in that room, which was lined with monitors of various sizes.

Just as I was about to shine my flashlight, the surroundings suddenly lit up, and an anchor's voice echoed through the room.

"An unidentified virus is breaking out simultaneously across the nation."

"The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has announced that the infected exhibit high fevers, extreme aggression, and temporary cognitive decline."

The monitors had turned on by themselves, broadcasting a news report.

I watched the screen without surprise.

Because in the game, the monitors would turn on in the exact same way to explain the lore of DeZonDil.

"The government plans to announce specific countermeasures during an emergency briefing at 6:00 PM tonight."

"We urge all citizens not to be misled by unverified rumors and to rely on official announcements for accurate information."

Though the anchor's voice sounded calm, a faint tremor ran through it. It was the sound of sheer terror.

The screen cut to a different broadcast. The anchor's foreboding had been correct.

"Citizens of the nation, we are broadcasting an emergency disaster decree from the government."

By now, the anchor's voice was practically a scream.

"The unidentified infection currently spreading nationwide has surpassed controllable limits. As of 18:00 today, the government is issuing an immediate nationwide evacuation order... No, wait! Help me! Argh!"

The news broadcast abruptly cut off with the sight of the male and female anchors being torn apart by zombies.

Leaving their screams behind, I searched the drawers and found the Security USB.

Just as I slipped it into my pocket and prepared to leave the studio, the entire room was bathed in a crimson glow.

I looked at the monitors. Every single screen was displaying the exact same thing.

It was a blood-red breaking news screen.

The moment I was momentarily overwhelmed by the crimson light, the screen changed.

The new image displayed on the screen...

Was me.

My own face, looking up at the monitor with a slightly pale expression, was being broadcast in real-time.

Could it be Samra?

But Samra could not enter trials, nor could it exert its influence within them.

Just as tension gripped me in the face of this inexplicable situation—

Boom!

A deafening explosion shook the entire building.

Stumbling, I barely managed to keep my footing and steady myself.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and floor.

The monitors that had been broadcasting the bizarre footage just moments ago now had shattered panels, bleeding into a static rainbow of colors.

That impact came from above.

After a brief hesitation, I abandoned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ruined monitors and sprinted toward the emergency stairs.

It wouldn't be surprising if the building collapsed at any second.

Yet, instead of fleeing downward, I headed up. I took the stairs two or three at a time, racing toward the rooftop.

I had worried that some bizarre anomaly might occur because the sign had read "99th floor," but fortunately, I reached the rooftop safely.

Even if the floor indication had been a bit strange.

I flung the rooftop door open.

...Are you kidding me?

The sight that greeted me beyond the open door made a curse slip past my lips.

The tall transmission tower that had soared above the roof was folded completely in half.

Bent out of shape with its top half smashed into the concrete floor, the massive steel structure looked less like a tower and more like a broken toy.

And standing atop that folded transmission tower was someone.

The one person I absolutely should not be encountering alone right now.