The Sudden Typhoon
The sewer system's layout was incredibly complex.
Intersections and forks kept appearing, one after another.
Hyun-soo guided them without hesitation each time, but even he was starting to slow down.
"Agh, my feet hurt."
Anna grumbled as she shook off her waterlogged feet.
And as they drew closer to the city center, the stench rising from the water grew worse.
"How much farther?"
"Almost there."
Hyun-soo replied, glancing at the map.
Kim Chan-yeol was holding it steady for him again this time.
"So 'almost' means how long, exactly?"
"If I'm going straight, about ten minutes."
"Crazy bitch or crazy mom, I don't care—just let something show up so we can get the hell out of here."
Anna muttered, brushing water off her slick legs.
Come to think of it, everyone except Anna was wearing combat boots, which made it somewhat bearable.
Anna was the only one in sneakers—light summer ones, at that.
"Hang in there just a bit longer."
Jaejeong said soothingly, eyeing her shoes with concern.
It didn't help much.
"Ugh, this sucks."
"What, want a piggyback?"
"Forget it. Just watch where you're going."
That was when it happened.
"Hold up—where are we now?"
Hyun-soo halted abruptly at a fork in the path.
He was starting to get confused.
Jaejeong stepped up and peered at the map with him.
"Lost?"
"Yeah. From here on."
"Where are we roughly?"
"If we've come the right way, about here. Just a few blocks left."
Both paths stretched on endlessly, out of sight.
This is trouble, Jaejeong thought, frowning.
"Whoa, what's this?"
Anna, leaning against the wall, jolted away in surprise.
"Now what?"
"Water. It's flowing down the wall from above."
Shining the flashlight revealed a ladder leading to a manhole cover.
Water trickled from cracks between the manhole and the road above.
But... why's water suddenly flowing like this?
"Maybe it's raining," Youngman suggested.
Jaejeong bit the flashlight in his mouth and climbed the ladder at Youngman's words.
He reached the manhole in seconds and shoved the cover with all his might.
It was small, so it gave way more easily than expected.
Rain immediately poured through the gap like a waterfall.
Jaejeong's clothes were soaked in an instant. He turned his head, gasping for breath.
The influx of rainwater was only increasing.
He poked his head out.
This wasn't just rain—it was a downpour.
And the wind. Far fiercer than what they'd felt by the riverside earlier.
No way...
"Hyun-soo, I'll call out landmarks around here. Try to get your bearings."
Jaejeong called down.
"Got it, hyung. What do you see?"
"Facing the direction I'm hanging from—apartments on the right, middle school on the left."
"Then right."
"Roger."
Jaejeong dodged the cascading water and descended the ladder.
He shook off the rain and said, "Something's off. Not just the rain—the wind's howling. This feels like... typhoon strength."
"Typhoon? In late October?"
Anna sounded incredulous.
"They do hit in October sometimes..."
"First I've heard of one this late."
Youngman agreed with her.
Autumn typhoons occasionally brushed late September or early October, but with November just days away? Unheard of.
"Typhoons keep forming into November. They just dissipate before reaching us. Especially now, with humans gone from the peninsula and civilization halted—any weather shift is possible."
The KEPCO employee said gravely.
They were already delayed more than expected, and now a typhoon. Worst-case scenario.
No weather forecasts in this world anymore, either.
No clue on the storm's size or traits.
Rain was bad enough, but high winds could batter substations and exposed power infrastructure directly.
His head throbbed with complications.
"How do you know all that?"
Hyun-soo asked, wide-eyed.
"Studied meteorology once. From Earth's perspective, no humans means unpredictable changes. Lots of predictions out there, but just that—predictions. If memory serves, this is my first typhoon this year. Right?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Too chaotic to notice before, but yeah—no typhoons all year.
"Autumn ones are the scariest. Summer ocean heat fuels monsters. This could be a big one. Bad news."
"Aren't we safer in the sewers anyway?"
"No. Heavy rain means flooding. High winds hit outdoor substations hard. You heard that howl up top. Most hold up, but a monster typhoon..."
The employee trailed off.
Jaejeong, who'd been listening silently, spoke decisively.
"Then we move fast. No time to waste."
"Agreed."
The group turned right per Hyun-soo's lead and trudged on for a few more minutes.
Faster pace got them there sooner than thought.
Jaejeong climbed the ladder first and shoved the manhole cover.
This one was bigger—stubborn.
"Nngh!"
Yelling as he pushed, it finally slid open.
"Hah, still got it."
I-jin whistled from below in admiration.
Only Han Jaejeong could pull that off.
No one else.
Torrents of rain now flooded the sewer like high tide.
"Up!"
Jaejeong twisted away from the deluge and called for Anna.
She slung her bow on her back, climbed up, and perched on his shoulder to light a flare arrow.
Sizzle!
It ignited. She leaned out and drew the string.
But the rain was merciless.
Impossible to keep eyes open in the onslaught.
And the wind—too fierce for archery.
Thwack!
"Down!"
Despite Jaejeong's shout, Anna craned out to track the arrow.
The flame snuffed quick; it veered wildly into the gale.
Seconds flat.
Infected nearby reacted violently to the wind-whipped debris noise.
Disaster.
"Stop looking and get down—you're heavy!"
Jaejeong gritted his teeth, tapping her.
On the ass, unfortunately.
"Pervert! Where you touching?"
"I said get down!"
Even then, Anna called out his wandering hand.
Damn it, what was I supposed to do?
Jaejeong swallowed his irritation and lowered her.
Back in the sewer, both their faces were grim.
The group below had watched, but not the full surface hell.
No flare pop, and Jaejeong slamming the cover shut? Something was wrong.
"God, are you insane?!"
"What's up?"
Youngman asked the suddenly furious Anna.
"This jerk groped my ass!"
"Hey, when did I grope? You're full of it."
Jaejeong denied in panic, but Youngman and most wore skeptical looks.
"It was a tap, not a grope. I told you to come down, you didn't. I was dying under your weight."
"I've never had a guy touch me my whole life? You kidding? Not letting this slide. Apologize properly."
"Apologize my ass. Next time you're heavy, I just drop you?"
"Petty bastard."
Youngman sighed shortly at their bickering.
"Enough, both of you. Settle it privately. Anna, why'd you stay up there if he was groping?"
"I didn't grope!"
Jaejeong's face crumpled near tears.
"Why you mad at me? Farter gets mad at the smell, huh."
"No, I—seriously, no. Why would I..."
"I'll tell you why I held on. Simple: flare arrow's a no-go. Change of plans."
Anna cut him off.
The group fixated more on her words than Jaejeong's grievance.
No flare arrow?
Big problem.
No flare meant no surfacing, no HQ approach.
"Rain's too heavy. Wind kills the arrow's flight. Gotta find another way."
"What now? We need to head back today."
The employee pressed urgently.
Delays aside, bad luck piled on like sabotage.
Weather, time, new zombies.
What next? Terrifying.
Jaejeong's head pounded.
Soaked clothes left him shivering cold.
First: escape the sewer before flooding worsened.
Then: any indoor shelter, not necessarily target.
Or hypothermia for all.
He looked at everyone and declared.
"Typhoon or not doesn't matter. Shelter from rain and wind first. We go up. Fewer zombies topside than expected. Noise has them scattered—odds in our favor."
"Then what?"
I-jin asked.
"Find a house. One-room or standalone better than apartments. Fewer infected. Hole up till storm calms. Objections?"
"Don't ask if decided—just do it. We'll follow. You're the leader."
Youngman backed him.
Couldn't poll every choice.
Especially in crunch time.
Push sound decisions.
Survivors affirm; dead stay silent.
Choices were like that.
"I'll go first. Once up, shops right, dense planters behind. I'll scout hiding spots from there—hurry up, match my pace, no stragglers. Going."
Scraaape!
Manhole flew open; rain hammered down.
Everyone on the ladder took the brunt.
First topside in hours, Jaejeong ducked behind the planters.
No zombies nearby, thankfully.
Some distance, but sound or sight would draw them.
Small mercy: city-wide roar from the gale.
Find cover before it worsened.
As Youngman and I-jin climbed in turn, Jaejeong scanned fast.
Alley between shops—wide for two abreast.
Heading to check, two infected burst from a building, roaring.
They'd spotted him.
Infected People