Chapter 72
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: After the Rain, Black Mountain (2)
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“I don’t dislike Squad Leader Lee Yura.”
During a private moment when Park Jinseok had called Winter out under the pretext of going on patrol together, he opened up about his true feelings.
“Of course, I don’t like her either, but I do see her as one of the few people I can truly trust. At the very least, she’s a hundred, a thousand times better than those selfish cowards who only look out for themselves. I’ve seen her training—she’s got great marksmanship. She was a completely different person from the one back in Paso Robles. Doesn’t that prove how much effort she’s put in?”
Winter nodded silently in response. This meeting had been arranged with the mindset that you shouldn’t leave embers when putting out a fire. Dedicating time to him first was the best way to dispel any suspicions that he was favoring Yura.
“I’m just disappointed. She lacks a sense of crisis. Honestly, this applies to a lot of others too. Even when we should be on constant alert, now that life has stabilized a bit, everyone’s letting their guard down too much, don’t you think?”
It seemed he’d never been happy with the alliance’s optimistic atmosphere. Winter wondered if dragging his squad members to the training grounds even on Christmas Eve hadn’t been an attempt to separate his people from that very mood.
It must have been a question thrown out expecting a response. Winter pondered an appropriate reply.
“I agree we need to stay tense. But I don’t think the current alliance atmosphere is necessarily bad. Life can’t always be strung tight like a bowstring, right?”
“Why not? Humanity’s on the brink of extinction. If you want to survive, that’s exactly how it has to be!”
Jinseok proclaimed his own fear.
“To be honest, I’m scared! I have nightmares every night! I wake up from dreams of being chased by those half-dead things or being torn apart. And then I get scared all over again that those dreams might become reality someday! Is this unfounded worry? No, absolutely not!”
His rising voice was quite emotional.
“We got through the last attack unscathed thanks to you, Leader, but are we always going to be that lucky? To even slightly increase our chances of surviving the next crisis, we can’t tolerate even the tiniest lapse or laziness. Everyone has to push themselves to their limits! To the point where it feels like they might die from exhaustion! Even if it’s that grueling, isn’t it still far better than actually dying? That’s how I feel! I want to live, even if it means going through that!”
In the end, Jinseok’s rigid attitude was his own way of confronting fear. Winter shook his head.
“I understand. But not everyone is as strong as Squad Leader Park. Really. How many people can face fear like that? Everyone has their limits, right? I think mental leeway acts like lubricant. A machine without lubricant wears out quickly and breaks down often—people without leeway clash and grind against each other until they collapse, don’t they?”
“…….”
“An individual’s best and a community’s best are very different. That’s how it feels to me. Just because one person can do it doesn’t mean we can impose that standard on everyone.”
Jinseok’s eyebrows twitched.
“What about those who can but don’t?”
“Pardon?”
“Squad Leader Lee Yura. I’ve watched her, and I’m convinced. Even if others can’t, she can. She has the ability. But she doesn’t. That’s a lack of conscience!”
Winter felt something new in the first part and confusion in the latter.
“Conscience? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
“No, I said it right. The alliance has grown this big, yet everyone just relies on you, Leader, without regard for anyone else. Where did all those people go who felt sorry about putting a minor in charge? There’s one person who always takes on the most dangerous tasks, and yet others shamelessly seek leisure behind that? I can’t accept that.”
His intentions were good, but Jinseok’s attitude was quite aggressive. A strong sense of disgust showed on his face. Winter forced a difficult smile.
“Calm down first. You’re too worked up.”
“……My apologies.”
Since this was nominally a patrol, they had plenty of time to catch their breath while walking. Once Jinseok had settled down considerably, Winter spoke.
“Well, I hope you’ll think about it more deeply. Squad Leader Park—no, Mr. Jinseok—seems to think he’s fine and can keep going like this, but to me, you look mentally exhausted. If you say it’s unavoidable given reality, I won’t argue that point. But if you keep this up, from my position, I won’t be able to trust you with others. You dislike them, after all.”
Jinseok visibly wavered.
“That’s a separate issue.”
“Do you really think so?”
Winter shook his head.
“It’s hard to sincerely protect people you despise, isn’t it? I understand your position, which is exactly why I can’t entrust others to you. For the people’s sake, and yours too.”
“No, but my efforts…….”
“Enough. I’m not asking you to change right now. You’ve done well so far. Try to find some leeway. Then you’ll be able to take responsibility for more people.”
Jinseok clamped his mouth shut. Winter pretended not to notice and looked in another direction, reflecting on whether he’d been too direct.
Still, it would work. It wasn’t said with any ill intent.
After sending Jinseok off, Winter went to find Yura this time. But along the way, he noticed that the soldiers in Yura’s squad had changed their alert posture. They were no longer leaning against anything or sitting down.
Yura made a tearful face the moment she saw Winter.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I showed you an ugly side. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, I saw your squad members standing at full attention on the way over. Was that on your orders?”
“Ah, yes! That’s right!”
She nodded vigorously. It was obvious she’d been fretting over this.
“After my head cooled down, I thought about it calmly, and it seemed like Jinseok had a point.”
“Really?”
“Yes! The part about showing diligence to the loggers. We’re out here to protect them, right? Making sure they can work without worry is part of our job too, isn’t it? Jinseok was right about that, but I got mad. Was I just venting built-up resentment? When I got that far, I felt ashamed. I’m an idiot. I should have realized it myself.”
She truly looked embarrassed, and her words came out incredibly fast. She must have rehearsed what to say when they met. The embarrassment of Winter witnessing her fight with Jinseok probably played a part too.
It was amusing. Winter let out an unfeigned laugh.
“You’re really impressive.”
“Impressive? You’re teasing me, right?”
“No. I mean it. Why would I tease you, Yura?”
Still, Yura didn’t seem convinced.
There was no need to persuade her specifically. If he spilled his entire conversation with Jinseok, she’d believe him, but that would be reckless in its own way. Jinseok wouldn’t have opened up if he thought the talk might leak anywhere.
A gunshot rang out.
Just one shot, but the entire work site froze. Winter signaled to the refugee laborers and other troops to stay calm. The warning from 「Survival Instinct」 was practically nonexistent. In the meantime, a radio message announced a preliminary alert candidate.
[This is outpost 16. One ghoul eliminated!]
Coincidentally, the shooter was Jang Hanbyeol—the one who had reported Yura and Jinseok’s fight to Winter. The one who had impressed Sergeant Pierce with her pinpoint shot, earning her a spot as a designated marksman. By the time Yura and Winter arrived side by side, Hanbyeol was extremely excited.
“Leader! Look over there! A ghoul showed up, and I took it down with one shot!”
The direction she pointed was quite far. Nearly two hundred meters. Impressive that she’d hit it with a single shot when the ghoul wouldn’t have been standing still. And if it died from one shot, that meant a headshot or equivalent vital hit—truly excellent.
“That’s amazing. Your skills seem to be improving day by day.”
“It’s not skill. The scope helped a lot. I really love this thing.”
Now a regular soldier rather than support, she received standard-issue gear. The 4x scope was one of them. It wasn’t given because she was a good shot; it was basic U.S. infantry equipment.
“No need to be modest. Even accounting for that, your skill has improved. Seeing how it fell dead while moving, you must have led the shot and nailed the head. In one shot. Even seasoned marksmen can’t always do that.”
Pleased, Hanbyeol started giggling in a strange tone.
Praise is motivating for anyone. Hanbyeol, who had once feared pulling the trigger so much, now loved shooting more than anyone after constant praise during training.
Now, even the U.S. instructors called her “Miss Trigger Happy.”
But that laugh was a bit…… Yura was making a disturbed face.
“Nothing else besides that?”
“No. Just the one. Weird, right?”
Hanbyeol’s responding voice trembled. So did her hands gripping the rifle. Battle excitement. It shared some aspects with fear but was an entirely different concept overall.
“Not weird. Probably scouting.”
Yura flinched at Winter’s words.
“Scouting?”
“Yes. We’ve been coming to the same place via the same route at times like this lately, repeating our work. No surprise if the mutants learn the pattern. Especially ghouls—they’re at least as smart as clever dogs or wolves. I doubt one would wander alone for no reason.”
“That’s suddenly scary…….”
“If we don’t miss ones like this, we should be fine for a while. They seem to plan their attacks too. Plus, many special mutants died on Christmas.”
「Insight」 affirmed Winter’s speculation.
“In that sense, once more: Well done, Hanbyeol.”
Hee-hee. Hanbyeol hugged her rifle and smiled brightly.
After that, nothing else happened until the logging wrapped up.
Work ended at 3:30 p.m. It was winter, so days were short; the schedule ensured return before sunset.
Today’s sunset was at 5:13 p.m. Twilight lingered after, so there was ample time margin.
Before departure, they conducted final checks on materials and personnel. Then, a group of Chinese refugee laborers approached Winter. His accompanying combat squad members tensed slightly, but Winter raised a hand to reassure them. No group was crazy enough to try anything against the current Winter.
‘No, there is one.’
The increasingly fanatical 「Full Gospel Church」 lacked rationality, making their actions hard to predict. They had reason to hate Winter too.
The massive mutant attack happened on Christmas of all days. And Winter had warned about it beforehand. To them, it must have seemed like prophecy.
Winter recalled one of them holding a Bible in one hand and pointing accusingly with the other, shouting verses.
“You’re a false prophet! A trumpet of disaster summoning devils!”
“Hear the Word of the Bible! If a prophet presumptuously speaks in My name what I have not commanded, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall be put to death!”
“Hear the Word of the Bible! Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! You prophets are like foxes in the wastes. You see vain visions and lying divinations, making people hope their words come true, though I the Lord have not sent you!”
“Hear the Word of the Bible! Thus says the Lord: Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has My word speak My word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. Is not My word like fire, and like a hammer that shatters rock? declares the Lord. Therefore behold, I am against the prophets who steal My words from one another!”
Winter thought: The Bible has plenty of good verses, yet they only see what they want, even there.
The reverie was brief, but enough for the Chinese laborers to approach.
On the surface, they seemed to come just to thank him for the protection, with no ulterior motive. The combat squad relaxed. But Winter was still puzzled. This hadn’t happened in the two weeks of ongoing work.
“Big Brother! Thanks for your hard work today too!”
“We can work with peace of mind thanks to Big Brother!”
Amid such words, one extended a hand for a shake. As Winter grasped it, he felt something rough in the palm. The texture of folded paper. A note? Winter took it nonchalantly and slipped it into his pocket without drawing attention.
The escort for the returning convoy was solid. Besides Humvees, multiple light strike vehicles (LSVs) patrolled widely on both flanks, covering a broad area.
Inside the Humvee, Winter unfolded the note.