The Shaman and the Soldier
Choi Junseo’s gaze as he looked at me was strange. Even though he seemed filled with certainty, he was waiting silently for my decision.
I couldn't bring myself to make a snap decision in a situation that was anything but rational. It was absurd that my former peer—once called the strongest of our generation—was acting so recklessly, and this guy staring at me so calmly was just as suspicious.
'If I handle this wrong, things will get tangled beyond repair.'
Common sense dictated that when searching a place like this, you use the blind spots to narrow in from the outskirts to the center, avoiding exposure to the enemy. But the two spots Choi Junseo had pointed out were right in the middle of the apartment complex. If those bastards weren't there, we’d have only exposed our position, and they would either relocate or wait for us with traps set.
"Do you know that when dealing with survivors, the one who gets exposed first always loses?" I asked. Choi Junseo smiled faintly.
"Of course I know. I’m a survivor just like you, Hunter."
"And you, knowing that, are acting this recklessly?"
"Just trust me once."
"I need some plausible evidence to trust you."
It was natural to become suspicious while living in a world of zombies. Like the Bishop’s teaching—that you don't just tap a stone bridge, you walk around it—I would have doubted and verified things even if there were evidence.
Choi Junseo hesitated for a moment before quietly opening his mouth.
"Even in a world like this, there are all sorts of people living. There are people like you, Hunter, and former baseball players, and technicians."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Have you ever had your fortune told?"
"...Are you saying you're a shaman?"
Choi Junseo nodded. I was momentarily speechless, my mouth just flapping open.
"I was fairly well-known as a Muyeong-dongja."
"...I’m supposed to believe that?"
"I always see two futures. Even now. Humans live by choosing one of two options. Depending on what you choose, the next set of options changes. Like a game scenario."
Was this the secret Im Jongchan said he’d tell me? My attitude shifted slightly at his more serious demeanor than ever.
"What is the future you see now?"
"One where you are deeply saddened, and another where you are deeply enraged."
"Both sound terrible."
"It’s not about choosing the best. It’s about avoiding the worst."
"If we go to that apartment, we can avoid the worst?"
"I’m not certain. The General doesn't tell me everything."
The General? Was that some kind of deity he served? If I’d had the time, I would have asked for the General’s name. That was how serious and calm Choi Junseo was.
"I’ve lived a long time, but I never thought I’d be running an operation with a shaman."
"The General likes you, Hunter. I think he likes you even more than he likes our leader."
"My head hurts, so stop."
Since Im Jongchan’s group had already entered the apartment on the other side, nothing would change by hesitating here. It still felt wrong, but I had no choice but to take a gamble.
"Let's go."
"Alright."
As I took the lead, Choi Junseo followed. I found a blind spot based on the apartment he’d pointed out and approached quickly. When we reached the first floor, I couldn't help but be slightly surprised; there was no dust on the stairs, and there were handprints on the railing. Naturally, this was a zone that should have been included in the secondary candidate list.
"......"
As I went to climb the stairs, Choi Junseo passed me and started up first. I swallowed my words, wondering if this was also an instruction from the General, but there wasn't a shred of caution in his movements.
'If he steps on a booby trap like that, we're screwed.'
Choi Junseo didn't care and sprinted up to the 7th floor. Only when we reached the 8th floor did he look back and whisper in a small voice.
"It’s dangerous from here on."
"Does the General say so?"
"Just trust me."
"Ha... Fine. Do whatever you want."
It was a 17-story apartment, so even if it were me, I would have built a forward base between the 8th and 12th floors. Choi Junseo’s only evidence was the 'General,' but I found it somewhat convincing.
'What kind of person is this Im Jongchan dragging around?'
He said he didn't follow orders, but the results always ended well. It seemed Im Jongchan had become accustomed to the confusion I was currently experiencing.
"Shh."
Choi Junseo held a finger to his lips. I had already sensed the presence, but Choi Junseo reacted a beat late. It would be more accurate to view him as a human truly under the protection of the General rather than someone with good instincts.
"What the?!"
"Ugh!"
Right then.
Choi Junseo, who had approached closely, drew his combat knife and lunged in an instant. There were two sentries. Choi Junseo slit the throat of the one in front and immediately drove the knife into the heart of the remaining sentry. It was a movement without a single moment of hesitation, and it happened before I could even stop him.
"You, what are you doing...?"
"We have to kill them. That’s how we survive."
"...Damn it."
I looked at the dead sentries with a heavy heart. My plan was to persuade the Solarium and have them join the coalition. To do that, I could subdue them, but I couldn't kill them. The moment I killed their members, persuading the Solarium would be a lost cause. But in the blink of an eye, the water had been spilled.
I was flustered at first, but soon, rage surged like a tidal wave.
"Hey."
I grabbed Choi Junseo by the collar and clenched my fist. Yet, he only looked at me with detachment, as if he had known this would happen.
"Do you even know why I’m going through all this hell?"
"I don't know about things like that."
"You don't know a damn thing, so why are you ruining the job like this?"
"I’m sorry. But this is the way to avoid the worst."
"Damn that General of yours!"
I let go of his collar and shoved him away roughly. Choi Junseo, who hit the wall, just stared at me without a word. His eyes held no reflection, no guilt.
"Haa."
I don't know about Im Jongchan, but this guy doesn't mesh with me. Part of me was amazed that he’d pinpointed the exact building out of over thirty, but the resentment of him ruining the operation was greater.
"I’m taking the lead. If you act on your own again, I’ll kill you, so stay back and keep your mouth shut."
"If that is your choice, Hunter, I have no other option."
"This brat is talking back until the end."
"Have you ever lost something precious, Hunter?"
"What?"
"You can't have everything. To hold one thing, you have to let go of another."
For some reason, his words felt ominous. I turned my back in a fit of nerves and climbed the stairs again. Choi Junseo, following silently behind, looked just like a grim reaper.
When we reached the 16th floor, I could hear voices, albeit faintly. As I carefully climbed each step, the voices became clearer.
"Wow, what a tough bitch. I’ll ask one last time. Why did you crawl in here?"
I could hear intermittent gasps for air. Soon after, slap! The sound of skin tearing followed. I couldn't listen any longer and pulled the safety pin on my grenade.
"Boss! Over there!"
"Startled me! You, who are you!?"
I appeared before them, hands raised with the grenade in my grip. A middle-aged man who appeared to be the shelter leader hurriedly pointed his rifle at me, and just from that, I could gauge their level of competence.
"You, are you one of those Osori bastards too?"
The man raised his voice in a trembling tone, but my gaze was fixed on Han Jiyoung. Her face was badly bruised, likely from being beaten, and her arms and legs were covered in bloodstains. Han Jiyoung barely opened her eyes to look at me and smiled weakly.
"...How much did you hit her?"
"What are you talking about, damn it! I’m asking if you’re an Osori bastard! You know this is a declaration of war, right? Do you think we’re easy? Huh?!"
If I could, I wanted to release the grenade lever. I wanted to pull out my revolver and blast his face off. I only held my right hand, clutching the grenade, forward.
"If I let this go, we all die together."
"So what? What do you want me to do!"
"Release Jiyoung first."
"Damn it! Go to hell!"
Taking out the grenade was intended to buy time for negotiation. Even though I’d killed two sentries, I had intended to somehow patch things up. I needed every single person I could get to face the Alpha legion and Gusan. It was common for all shelters to be wary of outsiders, so I had intended to try until the end, even if we couldn't communicate. I had definitely intended to.
That was, until I saw the state of Han Jiyoung.
"Release her."
As my anger surged to the point where I could feel the heat, I felt myself turning coldly numb. So this is what it feels like when a person’s anger exceeds their limit. I turned my head to look at Choi Junseo. He was watching me from the stairs below, like a bystander.
"You were right. Because I’m holding a grenade, I can't draw my revolver."
"Where are you looking, you bastard? Did you bring your stragglers too?!"
"To hold one thing, you have to let go of another? But I’m not going to let go of anything."
"You keep talking nonsense? Hey, I asked where you’re looking!"
There were only five of them here, as the others must have gone out on a search. The one with his gun lowered, the one who hadn't put his finger on the trigger. The one terrified, the one overconfident due to their numerical advantage, and so on. My brain had already finished the scan and set the optimal target order.
"Hey! Are you ignoring me? Is anyone there-! Ugh!"
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
As I drew my revolver with my left hand, I planted a bullet between the man’s eyes. I immediately shifted the muzzle and fired four shots in succession. They collapsed to the floor without even being able to fire a single shot. In the battle that ended in an instant, my revolver was puffing out faint smoke as if it were disappointed.
I tucked it into my left waistband and re-inserted the safety pin into the grenade. Choi Junseo approached only after the situation had ended.
"You’re someone who can do both. The General is very surprised."
"Shut up."
I went over to Han Jiyoung and untied her. My sloppy subordinate just smiled faintly at me.
"You’re a bit late, Senior."
"You shut up too."
"As expected of McGree. I was very surprised too."
"Can’t you both just shut up?"
"Should I put down my sword and try holding a revolver too?"
"Bullshit."
I tried to support her, but she looked uncomfortable walking. I had no choice but to lift her into my arms, and Han Jiyoung wrapped her arms around my neck.
"...Thank you. I really thought I was going to die this time."
"Seeing as you still have strength in your arms, you look like you could walk."
"No. Just take me like this."
When we reached the first floor, I saw Im Jongchan and his group. The Solarium search team that had arrived in the meantime seemed to have had the misfortune of running into Im Jongchan. The search team was lined up on their knees, and Im Jongchan was scratching the side of his head with his pistol. He giggled at me as if he found it amusing.
"Cheon-il, these bastards don't even have bullets, do they? They’re all empty guns."
"Really?"
"But these guys are definitely ex-military. Do you know what they said when they ran into us?"
"What did they say?"
"Bang!"
Huh...?
"Kwahahaha! Funny, right? Isn't it funny? We laughed our heads off, keuk-keuk-keuk!"
"You crazy bastard."
"That’s because you didn't see it yourself. Hey, you do it again! Hey, do it with a loud voice like before."
My peer made me make mouth-gun sounds for a long time, and later he was rolling on the floor clutching his stomach. ...It seems like no one in Coisa, from the leader to his right-hand man, is in their right mind. Perhaps they are the elite who find happiness even in a world like this.
"Is that your peer, Senior?"
"Yeah."
"He’s not a Senior Hunter, is he?"
"Sorry. That’s a mystery to me too."
"...It’s annoying."
Han Jiyoung turned her head away.