Chapter 17. Reunion with Parents.
Chapter 17. Reunion with Parents.
'There's no reason to block the road like this if their goal was stopping zombies. It's blocked just enough to stop cars, as if that's all they wanted...'
"Hey, isn't that a person?"
At the old man's words, I looked past the shoulder and spotted a woman lying among the corpses, groaning faintly.
"It's clearly a trap, but it doesn't look dangerous. We need information anyway, so let's play along."
We pulled up beside her, and Chaeyeon got out to speak with her.
"Are you okay?"
"Please help me... sob..."
"It's alright. Get in our car first!"
Chaeyeon reassured her and helped her into the car. The woman, seemingly relieved, started talking the moment she was inside.
"Sob... some strange people killed my group and disappeared further inside..."
'She barely has any wounds for someone who was supposedly roughed up, and her clothes are perfectly fine... and most importantly, her eyes aren't those of someone terrified.'
Our group pretended to listen to her story while we cleared the cars blocking the road, got back in our own vehicles, and set off again.
— Honk!!!
Right then, horns blared from the opposite direction as several cars approached and people got out. Unexpectedly, they were armed with rifles, bows, and other weapons.
"Hey, everyone out of the car if you don't want to get turned into a beehive."
We exchanged meaningful glances and got out.
"Whoa... those women are insanely hot, hehe..."
"What kind of sound would that pretty-faced bastard make if I ripped him open?"
"I really can't sympathize with your disgusting hobby."
At that moment, the woman we'd picked up pulled a knife from her chest and held it to Chaeyeon's throat.
"Don't even think about resisting. Stay nice and still. This is what you get for picking up just anyone~"
'Not a single thing has deviated from my expectations.'
"We'll give you the vehicles and the food. Where are you from, and what's your goal here?"
"Heh-heh. Listen to this guy."
"Does this dumbass think we're carrying these guns around for show?"
"Hey, you little shit, what do you think we catch people for? More women is always better."
"I'm done talking."
"Pwahahaha! You hear that? He's done tal—"
— Shk-k-k-k!
Starting with the bastard who was laughing, right up to the bitch who had her knife at Chaeyeon's throat, I cut off both arms of every last one of them.
"Kyaaah!!!"
"Gaaaah!!!"
"My arm! My arm!!!!"
"Alright, I'll ask again. Where are you from, and what's your goal?"
The bastards were howling in pain and didn't seem to have heard a word I said.
"I guess their arms weren't enough. Will you talk once you've lost all four limbs?"
Only when I made a show of gripping my sword again did they start talking.
They explained that if a pretty-faced woman acts like she needs help, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, people open their doors. Then, once they arrive here, these guys show up and take the vehicles and goods. The woman was basically insurance planted just in case anyone happened to be armed.
And literally, women were always in short supply, and the men kept collapsing from malnutrition, so they were short on men too—both treated like slaves.
The interesting part was that Daejeon apparently had three major factions. A group of trash like these guys, some weird cult-like bastards, and a faction that stayed neutral and was comparatively closer to good.
To put it simply, they said none of them started wars with each other.
The Trash Faction had the numbers, the cultists apparently used some strange powers, and lastly, the Neutral Faction was better armed than you'd think.
'If they go to war with any one group, their strength will be weakened even if they win. That's why none of them can recklessly provoke the others.'
"I'll... I'll explain it properly...! A guy like you could easily get a high-ranking position... I'll guide you there myself!!!"
"You still think you can negotiate?"
With those final words, I swung my blade at them.
Afterward, we checked their weapons and rummaged through their pockets. Each of them carried a card with an unusual symbol on it. And their arrows were coated in a strange liquid—probably poison.
"They seem to use these cards to identify each other. Everyone take one, just in case."
'The most dangerous ones are the cultists. If what these guys said is true, they use some strange power, and nothing is more dangerous than the unknown.'
"Hmm... if there are three factions, which one should we head to?"
At the old man's question, the entire group looked at me.
'If we need to check whether Chaeyeon's parents are alive, we can rule out the Trash Faction.'
"First, I think we should check out the Neutral Faction or the cultists. Normally you'd look for the Neutral Faction, but to be blunt, they could have fallen to someone with brainwashing-type abilities and ended up there."
The old man glanced carefully at Chaeyeon before speaking.
"If, by any chance... we also need to consider the possibility that they were captured by... bastards like these, wouldn't we?"
Jia wore a sympathetic expression and tightly held Chaeyeon's hand. Chaeyeon, as if to say she was alright, gently released Jia's grip.
"No, everyone came all this way because of me. I'm fine. And..."
Chaeyeon hesitated for a moment, then continued with a resolute expression.
"Sihu, I know you're strong. But the world's turned out like this, and I can't just keep being spoiled forever. You said it yourself, didn't you? That in a shitty world like this, you have to become strong on your own."
I was surprised by the force of her wording. And I thought to myself.
She's grown. Far faster than I did back when I first fell on Titan, trembling in fear and hiding in a cave.
"Heh-heh... I didn't know you could use that kind of language. You're right. To survive in this goddamn shitty world, you have to get stronger."
Seeming to realize she'd accidentally let a curse word slip, she blushed and lowered her head.
"It seems like we all have the same general idea. The Neutral Faction, then?"
"I think heading to the Neutral Faction, where the chances of a fight are low, is the better option."
To elaborate on what those pieces of trash told us earlier:
The trash gang's base was a place famous for its hot springs before the zombie outbreak.
The cultists were using a large church building as their residence.
'Hmm... the Neutral Faction is holed up in a department store, and looking at the map, there's a big supermarket nearby too.'
"Rather than just talking about it here, let's go confirm it in person."
The group got back in the vehicles and started heading toward the downtown area where the department store was.
"It's not exactly pristine here either, but compared to Seoul, it's in much better shape..."
"Well, the population difference would explain that."
"Is that the building we're looking for over there?"
"Yes... I've been checking the map as we went, so that should be it."
We confirmed the sign attached to the building, parked the cars, and got out.
— Trudge, trudge, trudge!
As if they had been waiting for us, soldiers in uniform and armed emerged in orderly fashion and began to surround us.
"Don't move! Everyone, hands up!"
Several of them approached us, aiming their guns. A few personnel thoroughly checked inside the vehicles.
'Soldiers? Is there a base nearby?'
They finished searching us for anything we might be hiding, handcuffed us, blindfolded us, and led us inside the building. Some time passed in the room they took us to before someone entered. The man instructed the soldier behind him to remove our blindfolds.
"Where have you come from?"
"We're people from Seoul."
"Hah, do you expect me to believe that? No matter how many of you are Awakened, getting from there to here..."
— SNAP!
I tensed my strength, broke the handcuffs as if they were nothing, and continued speaking.
"I won't ask you to believe me. But it's the truth."
— Clack-clack!
The soldiers beside me aimed their guns at me again, but the man in front of me waved his hand and continued.
"If they had wanted to resist, they would have done so from the start. Everyone, lower your weapons."
'A man who grasps situations quickly. But then why is he so relaxed, even with Awakened inside his base?'
"Given that you came all this way and were brought in without any resistance, you must have a purpose, correct?"
"Yes, actually, a member of our group has parents living in Daejeon, so we came."
"You came all the way here, in a situation where communication is cut off and zombies swarm everywhere, simply because her parents 'live in Daejeon'?"
"That's right. You see, we were told that the two of them are already in a safe location with several months' worth of sufficient food and water."
"If that's the case... then they might indeed still be alive."
"Correct. The parents' names are Lee Jin-hyuk and Kim So-hye. And actually, they have their own..."
"...bunker. That's where they'd be."
Honestly, how many people in South Korea would build a private bunker? There might be people with the wealth to build one, but very few would willingly waste money on that. So this man hadn't simply guessed.
"Is it... possible that your father runs a defense industry company?"
Hearing that, Chaeyeon's pupils shook violently, and soon tears welled up. Seeing that, I instantly gathered my energy. Ready to tear everything apart if necessary.
"You'd better... choose your next words carefully..."
"C-calm down!!! That woman's father and mother are here, safe and sound!!!"
Hearing that, I let out a sigh of relief and glanced at Chaeyeon. Chaeyeon also calmed down upon hearing they were safe. He gave an order to a soldier to bring them here immediately, then looked back at us.
"Do you know why I brought you all here and why you're cooperating so willingly?"
Truthfully, I'd been finding it strange too. What made him confident enough to bring us—potentially all Awakened—right into the heart of their base?
"We have someone on our side with a special ability."
"A special ability?"
"Yes. Though this person is blind, their ability allows them to discern a person's good and evil and perceive their inner nature."
"So you already sized us up at the entrance."
"Yes. Ironically, the person who cannot see is able to see far more than those of us who have our sight."
— Trudge-trudge-trudge!
The sound of someone running quickly came from outside.
"It seems they've arrived. I'll step aside for a moment."
He nodded to the soldiers as he left. The soldiers all filed out immediately after.
"Chaeyeon!!!"
"My daughter!!!"