Chapter 45. Rescuing the Stranded American Soldiers.
Chapter 45. Rescuing the Stranded American Soldiers.
"I'm not doubting you, but can you really manage it by yourselves?"
"Yes, we can. Only our group is going anyway, so even if we fail, it won't cost you anything."
"Well... We do have our own pride, but we'll rely on you. In any case, we're leaving it in your hands."
"Come to think of it, do the soldiers have their families here separately?"
"All the surviving soldiers' families are back on the mainland. These men were deployed here separately. And at first, we couldn't use heavy firepower because we didn't know who might be inside which building."
"In that case, using missiles from a helicopter would be impossible too. So, do you know where the giant one is?"
"Yes, we keep constant drone surveillance on it. We're not sure what it does unless there's noise like gunfire, but it's usually in the mountains."
We spread out a map, confirmed the positions with David—survivors, weapons, the hangar—and devised a plan, prioritizing the rescue order. The top priority was, of course, rescuing the soldiers. The ones in the barracks would be reached last, using a megaphone.
"Fortunately, the barracks are far enough that we can use a megaphone without worry."
"Then we'll head out. Please guard this place well, just in case. If the chopper gets wrecked, it'll be hard for us to get back too."
"Don't worry, just go."
"I have one last question. It's been quite a while since the apocalypse broke out. What have you been doing all this time?"
"Apocalypse..."
He seemed to feel the weight of that word too, and after thinking it over to himself for a moment, he answered.
"Including non-combat personnel, we had a lot of people. But this is all that's left now..."
He gave a bitter smile and trailed off. We understood what he meant and prepared to move out.
To minimize gunshot noise, the special mission agents received standard-issue rifles and suppressors from the U.S. forces. The agents adjusted their sights, loaded magazines into their tactical vests, chambered rounds, and made thorough preparations before heading outside.
"Much quieter than I expected... Looks like we just have to watch out for the giant in the mountains."
Rescuing the American soldiers went more smoothly than expected. Perhaps because they were soldiers, they'd been rationing their food and holding out on their own. We distributed weapons to them and continued the rescue operation.
"Excuse me."
They asked us about various things. We explained that the U.S. had requested cooperation, that we were rescuing American forces, and that the U.S. would transport people by transport plane. Their faces brightened at the thought of finally returning to their homeland.
But it seemed we couldn't save everyone. From the gunshot wound to the temple, it looked like some took their own lives before turning. Other sights, like arms covered in scratches and wounds, showed how desperate the situation had been.
"What the..."
I turned to look at them. Their muzzles were lowered, but their eyes were wide open, taking in the scene. They must have known the person, because they quickly shut their eyes tight and turned their heads away. And in another house, we found a soldier who had been tied up and turned into a zombie.
Then we heard a noise from an inner room and headed toward it. The special mission agents flanked the door, prepared, and nodded at me. I kicked the door in. Inside, a woman who seemed to be the wife and a child were still alive.
We repeated the rescue, bringing people back to where David Edwin was, dealing with zombies, and using vehicles to move weapons to one place. Days passed quickly.
"They said this was the largest U.S. base in Asia, but it's taking longer than I thought..."
"Sihu, I heard this place is four or five times the size of Yeouido."
If everyone here had been alive, a few days wouldn't have been nearly enough. Normally we would have brought our own people to move the weapons, but the U.S. soldiers were so cooperative that we'd already moved everything to the hangar.
"Mister Cheon, for the transport plane to land here, we have to deal with that giant."
"Do you have a separate plan for that?"
"Since we've evacuated all survivors, we intend to clear it out using the anti-tank rockets we have."
Commander David gestured, and U.S. soldiers brought in several boxes from outside.
"This is the Javelin anti-tank rocket. In the end, the giant is still made of flesh. Can it really withstand these? Our infantry will handle any surviving zombies, so there's not much to worry about."
"Alright. Then we'll position marksmen and riflemen on the rooftops. How do you intend to lure them?"
"We have one decommissioned tank that can still move. We'll attach C4 to it and detonate it. Then the monsters will hear the sound and come swarming."
With the firepower of personal rifles, machine guns, anti-tank rockets, and various explosives and grenades, they could wipe them out without a trace.
The soldiers moved the tank into position, set the C4, and returned. Commander David gripped the detonator, his face set hard as he stared straight ahead.
Then he took a deep breath and crushed the detonator in his grip.
— KWA-BOOOOOM!!!
A colossal roar erupted, and the tank shattered into pieces, fragments flying everywhere. The entire group, along with every soldier, aimed their muzzles forward with faces tense. Not long after the explosion, the earth-shaking sound of countless footsteps and shrieks rang out.
— GRAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
— THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
'What the—? That thing could run?'
Spotting the monsters charging from afar, Commander David gave the order to the soldiers holding the anti-tank rockets.
"Fire!!!"
In that instant, several anti-tank rockets streaked away, trailing flames.
— Fwoooosh!!! Whiiiiiish!!!
Not a single rocket misfired. They struck the center of the monsters perfectly, and a roar that seemed to shake the very earth exploded outward. At the same time, a tremendous blast of wind pressure hit us as well.
And as the dust cleared, what we saw before us was the giant, still not dead. Most of the zombies had been killed, but a few still remained.
"It's not dead yet. Reload!!!"
Confirming the creature's survival, the soldiers reloaded and fired again. Once more, an eardrum-rupturing sonic boom rang out.
— WHIIISH!!! BOOM!!!
Enraged, the creature hurled an abandoned vehicle from within the dust cloud. It flew straight toward the group, but before I could act, the old man raised his shield and deflected it. Still, the sheer mass of the thing sent him flying.
"Holy..."
But the creature wasn't unscathed either. It soon locked its sights on us and came charging, tearing up the asphalt as it ran.
'If we fight and let it run wild here, not everyone will come out unscathed...!'
"Ahjussi, are you okay?"
"Don't worry. Just got a few scrapes when I went flying. Leave this to us and hurry back."
We'd fought together so many times that he handled things expertly without being told. Curious as to how this monster had gotten so tough and gained the ability to sprint, I gave it a few scratches and lured it toward the mountains.
— Bang! Bang! Bang!
I already knew I couldn't kill it with a pistol. The bullets didn't even penetrate—not a scratch, just bounced right off.
'No matter how tough its skin is, being immune to rockets doesn't make sense...'
What I learned by cutting the creature with my sword was this: its muscle density was beyond anything I'd seen in any giant before—not just tough, but incredibly hard. That must be why it could withstand its own massive weight and sprint. And the outside was covered in chitin, like a beetle's shell.
'Where the hell do these things keep coming from...'
— Chaos Sword Technique: Iai
Along with the giant, every tree in the mountain area was split from top to bottom.
Feeling the situation was over, I returned to the group. It seemed things here had wrapped up too, with only a few U.S. soldiers remaining to tidy up.
"Thanks to you, I survived."
"I admire you."
They gave me all sorts of embarrassing thanks, saying they'd survived because of me, or that they admired me. And someone from upstairs said Commander David was waiting with the group.
Even on my way to where the group was, soldiers I passed kept looking at me and offering words of gratitude.
'What am I, a celebrity...'
When I reached the door to the room where they were waiting, a large black man grinned and offered a handshake, then opened the door.
"It's an honor, Sir."
I entered the spacious conference room and looked around. Commander David and the others had been sitting in chairs, but they all stood up to greet me.
After the greetings, Commander David asked me:
"How on earth can you do such a thing...?"
Then he nodded to another soldier beside him.
The soldier who got the signal placed a beam projector on the table. He set up a white screen on the wall and played a video.
The footage showed me cleaving the entire area in half with my sword.