Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: There Were No Zombies There (2)
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The first video showed the situation outside the hospital.
It looked like it was filmed through a window on the third floor.
The video was quite noisy with sounds from around the young man filming it.
Down below the building, people bleeding and others pointing toward the back of the main building, screaming in shock, came into view.
The camera panned in the direction they were pointing.
From behind the main building, people staggering out nonstop, bleeding profusely.
The screen fixed on a man whose legs had been torn off.
Looking closely, his lower body was gone, his guts spilling onto the asphalt.
The path he'd crawled left a long trail of blood from his intestines, and he was dragging himself forward, scraping the asphalt with both arms.
His fingertips were caked in blood from clawing at the pavement.
A hospital security guard rushed toward the man.
As the guard approached, the bleeding walkers lunged at him.
Poor guy, the security guard hit the ground and writhed in agony.
His stomach ripped open, entrails spilling out.
The crawling man's right arm grabbed the guard's leg and dragged it toward his mouth.
Shockingly, the bitten security guard got back up.
Guts pouring from his belly, he joined the bleeding crowd and shuffled toward the main lobby.
The second video was also chaotic with screams and voices.
The screen showed the back of a woman in hanbok.
She held a sword with long hair shimmering silver and stared motionlessly at the ICU ward.
The ICU door opened, and a man who looked like a doctor stumbled out bleeding. Something tackled him.
A woman covered in blood.
Through the open door, more bleeding people shuffling out.
The woman who tackled the doctor bit into his neck, but the hanbok woman kicked the doctor in the chest.
Her kick sent both the doctor and his attacker flying back into the ward.
Incredible strength.
Through the closing door, people lunging at the doctor.
Il-han stared at his smartphone for a long while before finally speaking.
"Who else has seen this video?"
"No one."
Il-han handed the phone back to the young man.
After a moment's thought, he wrote his personal email and phone number on a Post-it note.
No business card—just his personal email.
"Send the video here. And don't show it to anyone else."
The young man took the note and said quietly,
"She looked younger than me. Incredibly beautiful. She told me to evacuate people to the rooftop. She saved them."
* * *
The control room staffer was a fresh high school grad, new to society.
Too boyish to call him a young man.
The control room where he'd been on duty was in basement level 2.
Basement 1 and 2 had clinics like ophthalmology, pediatrics, internal medicine, dentistry, ENT, and a situation room shared by control and security.
The situation room had CCTV monitors, so he'd know the events better than anyone.
No visitors or inpatients were harmed underground.
Nor the medical staff tending them.
Oddly, he was the sole survivor among control and security staff that day.
"Who stopped the elevators?"
The boy's voice trembled with fear.
"The security chief, after descending to basement 2."
"Why stop them?"
"To save people."
"From what?"
The boy had no answer.
Il-han eyed him a moment, then rephrased.
"Did you call the fire department about the blaze?"
"Yes."
"And the police?"
"Yes."
"Did you make the evacuation announcement?"
"Yes."
"Did you tell the fifth-floor nurses' station there was a fire?"
"Yes."
"Was there actually a fire?"
The boy shook his head.
"No."
"Then why lie?"
"I wanted to save people."
He didn't seem to be lying.
"What about the other staff?"
"They said they were going to block the doors from upstairs. I believed them... but they sealed the basement doors and went to the first-floor lobby to save people, couldn't make it back."
"Protecting from what?"
Again, no answer.
Il-han rephrased.
"Why were you the only one left?"
"The control room chief said he'd be right back, told me to wait."
"You saw the CCTV?"
"Yes."
"What did you see?"
Whenever it came to that, the boy went silent.
Il-han didn't press, rephrased again.
"You met NIS agents?"
"Yes."
Il-han stared long, then placed both hands on the desk.
"If I'm right, grab my right hand. Don't know or wrong, left hand."
"Yes."
The boy nodded, and Il-han whispered,
"Did you see zombies?"
The boy's eyes flickered as his hand moved slightly.
* * *
Byung-su sat before Il-han.
Recalling Firefighter Lee Ja-seong's statement, Il-han asked,
"Reporter Kim Byung-su, why were you there that day?"
Byung-su kept a forced casual tone.
"On assignment. You know I'm a reporter. But did NIS take all the CCTV?"
Il-han replied coldly to the relieved-looking Byung-su.
"You're here as a witness, not reporting. I'll ask the questions. They say you threw Firefighter Lee Ja-seong out of the hospital. You that strong normally?"
"My office is basement 2. Old gym, tons of weights. Worked out whenever I could—hit 600 on the big three. Know powerlifting? Deadlift 250."
Il-han sighed deeply at his scrawny arms, which screamed lie despite his height.
"Why save Lee Ja-seong?"
"Do you need a reason to save someone?"
"How'd you survive that chaos?"
"Big three 600... Know the lifts? Bench, deadlift, squat."
"Reporter, you're the supernatural specialist. What did you see? Tell me. No scoops yet."
Byung-su straightened, spoke low and steady.
"NIS has a Kim-something section chief. His team probably took all the hospital CCTV. I won't report this either. Because a believable investigation result is coming soon—one everyone will accept."
Il-han scowled irritably.
"Investigation result?"
"Yes."
"Yes?"
Absurd, with witness interviews unfinished, Il-han gaped.
"From experience, it'll be a cult religious group. Acceptable to all. Everyone hates cults."
"I'm the cop! This is the station—are you serious?"
Il-han snapped, but Byung-su leaned back calmly.
"Zombies or cult zealots' holocaust—which do people believe?"
Il-han had no answer.
"Government says what people believe. Regime changes, but handlers don't—they do it the usual way. Reporters transcribe."
Byung-su leaned in close.
"Dig deep, you'll meet NIS Kim. Balls-kicking pro. Groin kick!"
"Threatening me?"
"Just facts."
Ignoring Il-han's glare, Byung-su finished.
"I know from experience. Be careful. And remember: there were no zombies there."
"Fine. So what's this Kim like?"
Il-han sneered, but Byung-su stayed serious.
"Glasses, designer duds. Height like this? Mid-forties. Calls himself section chief, but higher."
* * *
Unlike Byung-su, Dong-jin cooperated fully.
Admitted pounding corpse heads with a rebar stake, hands shaking.
"I'll take punishment if due. But unavoidable. Those were attacking corpses."
Il-han believed him.
But clammed up on throwing the firefighter or why he was there.
"Can't speak on what I didn't do or see. Can't say why I went either."
"Why not? Source protection? Prepping a story?"
Dong-jin shook his head firmly.
"If story, I'd have filmed. No plans yet."
"Yet?"
"Yes, yet. Reporting now, no one believes—could bury the incident. More digging first... Anyway, no story now."
Resolve burned in Dong-jin's eyes.
Il-han sighed deeply.
"Mass death tragedy. Cooperate to find cause. Call anytime. Investigation before scoops—remember."
* * *
Daeseong University Hospital disaster: hospital temporarily closed.
Connected roads sealed.
Police unusually announced results two days later.
Content:...
[Suppression of human sacrifice and slaughter by cult religious group, unavoidable police gunfire]
Just as Byung-su predicted.
"Annoying... Kim was right."
Il-han muttered at the announcement.
Witness interviews unfinished, but media ignored them.
"Suppression of human sacrifice and slaughter by cult religious group, unavoidable police gunfire..."
Hard to grasp, but nothing better to convince public.
Funeral homes reported cult members—deemed heretics by mainstream—attending viewings.
Media demanding CCTV got clips fast.
From SWAT Fritz helmets and neck mics.
Clips showed raid chaos, mosaicked slaughter frenzy.
Like seeing through SWAT eyes: gore laid bare.
Media blasting government went silent at footage of people ripping guts from corpses.