Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 069
Chapter Title: There Were No Zombies There (3)
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The release of these files lent credibility to the police announcement on their investigation.
At the president's directive, a massive probe unfolded nationwide into cult religious groups, along with the companies, politicians, public officials, and believers connected to them.
Any group even slightly flagged as heretical became a target of investigation, kicking off a 21st-century witch hunt.
Inspector Yoon Il-han received orders to wrap up his witness interviews quickly and join the witch hunt, accompanied by a thick list of names assigned to him.
* * *
Superintendent Ko Se-kwon of the police special forces was Il-han's senior by three years at the police academy and had risen through the ranks faster.
Though they worked at the same precinct, the two seniors-and-junior had never crossed paths until now, sitting face-to-face at a Jongno pancake house, tilting their glasses.
The world was fixated on the bizarre and gruesome incidents, and heated debates about cults and heresies raged at the tables next to theirs.
Glancing at the next table, Il-han asked,
"The special forces footage—wasn't it all seized by the NIS?"
"Nah, they took every last bit."
"Then what's this video the chief released to the press?"
"Beats me. It's ours, sure, but they probably returned a few for the announcement."
"A few?"
"Yeah. They took everything for 'image restoration and enhancement,' then sent back a handful."
"What did you see in it, hyung?"
"What'd you hear during the witness interviews?"
Se-kwon turned the question back on Il-han.
Il-han didn't hesitate.
"Zombies?"
Se-kwon burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
"Hahaha."
After laughing for a good while and wiping tears from his eyes, he asked Il-han,
"Who said that?"
"Well, some folks were saying it, so I just wrote it up in the statements as is. Based that on my investigation report too."
"What'd they say about it?"
"What'd they say? They chewed me out—'You expect anyone to buy a report parroting some nutjob witness?' Like, if you announced an investigation based on that, would the public believe it?"
"Hahahaha. Oh man, my sides. Hahaha. You're such a stubborn ass. Hahaha."
As Se-kwon laughed with tears streaming, Il-han said calmly,
"They were pissed, asking who I was trying to undress. Fair point, really. I wouldn't buy it either. Hell, they'd probably accuse us of faking it."
"So why'd you write the report like that if you knew better?"
"Because it's the truth. I wasn't there, so I don't know for sure, but witness statements have to be recorded accurately. The report's based on those, so what can you do?"
Grumbling as he spoke, Il-han changed his expression and asked Se-kwon again.
"But seriously, what did you see?"
"You trying to interview me as a witness?"
Se-kwon downed a full shot of soju and continued.
"That day, my team smashed through the glass doors. Just like in the announcement, there was a ton of people tearing into others."
He paused to gauge Il-han's reaction.
Probably checking if Il-han believed him.
"Man, the second I saw it, I knew. From outside, the blood-smeared glass hid it, but inside? No joke. There were a few bodies outside the main building with their heads blown apart, so I figured it was bad, but inside was chaos."
Se-kwon took the bottle from Il-han, who was pouring into an empty glass, and filled it himself.
"Right then, I remembered the firefighter blocking us, yelling not to go in. Thought, 'Yeah, no coming back alive from this.'"
Il-han raised his glass, and Se-kwon matched it, downing it in one go.
"What did I see? An angel. Or should I say a fairy?"
"An angel?"
"Yeah, an angel. One in elegant hanbok, white smoke billowing from her whole body. Hahaha."
Se-kwon's face darkened despite the laughter.
"First thing we saw in the main lobby: decapitated bodies, heads smashed, limbs scattered everywhere."
Since Se-kwon wasn't lowering his voice, the next table craned their necks.
"Then the screams, people fleeing, people ripping into others, folks with their lower halves torn off, guts spilling out but still crawling to bite someone else, people walking around with their insides exposed, victims suddenly jumping up to chase and devour others. Stuff like that."
Se-kwon caught his breath before going on.
"Our radios were pure pandemonium—team members screaming in shock, control room yelling. All 'What the hell is that?! What is that shit?! Fuck!' That kinda thing."
Even the server turned around at his shout.
"Control was monitoring live via our helmet cams and radios, and they lost it worse. Screams everywhere."
His expression serious as he gestured wildly,
"Alpha team, Delta team, control room—all of 'em. 'Those aren't zombies, are they? Holy shit, those things are real?'"
"You sized it up at a glance?"
Il-han whispered, but Se-kwon stayed loud.
Like he wanted everyone around to hear.
"Anyone would've called 'em zombies. Bring an elementary kid or a seventy-year-old—you show 'em that scene, they'll all say zombies. It's that obvious. Dead giveaway."
When Se-kwon said "zombies," Il-han glanced around briefly.
The next table had been eavesdropping for a while.
* * *
While we were out of it, about a dozen nearby spotted us and charged.
Blood gushing, teeth bared—with chunks of flesh stuck in 'em.
We backed up, tripped even, and they piled on.
But get this.
Our combat gear?
That shit's tough as hell.
Maybe 'cause they used to be human?
Couldn't even break the skin.
We were flailing, shaking 'em off and retreating when one of our guys got bit in the face.
Heard his agonized scream, kicked the biter off—half his face was gone.
Team member down, so I tried dragging the body.
Wasted effort.
'Cause that dead teammate lifted his head and bit my chest.
His teeth shattered.
Chomping hard on the vest? Teeth go snap.
Bulletproof vests weigh a ton for a reason.
We panicked, fumbling around—control room was the same mess.
That's when she came flying in, hanbok skirts swirling, and sliced the revived teammate's head clean off with her sword.
No hesitation—just whack, clean cut.
She cleared the dozen around us too, then ordered,
"Don't let a single one of these escape!"
Something like that.
Everything was a blur, but yeah, around there.
She handled the mob rushing us, then yelled and dashed to the center of the first floor, drawing them all with her.
That bought us some breathing room.
Then someone calm from control said,
"This is NIS Deputy Director Song. Eliminate them. Don't let any escape."
Turned out to be Song Byung-ho, head of the domestic division.
His command saved our asses.
Once we got the green light on firearms and the kill order, what the press called a massacre began.
No zombies escaped the hospital. We made it out fine.
And we rescued the folks who'd evacuated to the roof.
Fast, spot-on call—but too fast, too spot-on.
No one makes that judgment in the heat of it.
That Deputy Director Song... he knew something...
Oh yeah! One more thing.
They kept moving even after bullets hit—bodies all shredded but still going.
Blood? Squeezed out like toothpaste.
Black toothpaste oozing from their bodies.
Movies say shoot the head—they dropped, but no splatter or spray. Just squeezed out like paste and stopped.
* * *
Pausing there to catch his breath, Se-kwon asked Il-han,
"What'd forensics say?"
Il-han relayed what he'd gotten from the forensics team and National Forensic Service.
Parts even he didn't fully get, but he covered it all.
"Most had no fingerprints, blood type, or DNA. You said blood came out like toothpaste when shot?"
"Yeah."
"Must've coagulated and degraded. Forensics hit a wall there. NFS pinned cause of death: head chopped or shot, but it's genetic mutation from infection. They were already dead from the mutation before the bullets."
"What? Genetic mutation? That's what killed 'em?"
"Yeah, mutation. Not human gene structure anymore? Parts mutated? Mitochondria altered? Something like that."
"They were already dead from that?"
"Yup. No deaths from gunshot wounds at all. Cause: genetic mutation."
Forensics teams and the NFS have different roles and affiliations.
Forensics are under local police stations, handling CCTV review, fingerprints, composite sketches, with gear like mobile forensics buses, portable kits, on-site comprehensive sets, lights, powder fingerprint kits, etc.
They do fieldwork: collecting evidence on-site, photographing scenes.
NFS handles lab stuff needing specialized equipment: drug tests, cause of death, toxins.
Separate from police, independent organization.
Forensics collects evidence; NFS analyzes it.
Unlike forensics, NFS's independence as a separate entity gave their analysis high credibility.
Se-kwon tossed back a shot of soju and said,
"Harsh on the dead, but glad it wasn't murder. They were already gone—makes the shooting okay. Heart hurt unloading on 'em, but no pain means it's fine."
He looked relieved, worries eased.
"So what about you? Gonna keep digging despite orders from above?"
Se-kwon eyed Il-han with concern.
"Cult probes are fine, but it's turning into a witch hunt. Could get politicized too."
Il-han's investigation list was packed with anti-government figures.
"Hmm, could be."
"Main thing: Dae-seong University Hospital had real culprits. Right to chase them. I'm continuing the investigation. That's proper. But what'd Deputy Director Song look like?"
Il-han's resolve seemed firm.
"Song? Control staff said glasses, decked in designer gear... Height like this? Mid-to-late forties?"
Se-kwon indicated shoulder height.
For some reason, Il-han pictured the "Nangsim successor genius" Kim Section Chief that Byung-su had mentioned.