Informed Consent Form (1)
The weather has turned quite chilly. Early winter. A time when plant growth grinds to a halt. The plants that had been raping human civilization like madmen have momentarily ceased their march. Even if they gorged themselves on that Viagra known as growth promoter, they can't do much about the cold. No matter how much of a force of nature they are, the weather is also a force of nature. Even if plants can defeat humans, they’ll find it hard to overcome the laws of nature itself. That’s just how it is. Wait, but aren't spores fungi? Plants haven't really done anything to humans. They were getting cursed at for no reason.
Anyway, with the weather getting colder, wearing a gas mask has become much more bearable. When it was hot, the gas mask was so irritating it gave me goosebumps. Now, it’s become an item that actually keeps the cold out. Well, that doesn't mean it's comfortable, though.
I continue to scout Dongtan. The bastards who were at the mart back then clearly captured survivors from somewhere. Even if the zombies have increased and mutation has accelerated, there must still be survivors out there. So, I need to secure a few more. If I want to conduct any kind of experiment, I need participants. How can I run an experiment without participants?
I didn't expect there to be this few survivors. If there were plenty, I would have sent some people over to Old Man Choi's group. With the current numbers, I'm not sure if I have the spare capacity to send anyone there. I need to run some experiments over there, too.
I have to set the priority for my experiments. There are two main things I need to test right now. One is Project Necromancer. And the other is the Let’s Eat and Support project. Hmm. The name is trash. Isn't there another one? This is why naming sense is so important. Anyway, since there are already five people at Old Man Choi's place, I think it's better to focus on Project Necromancer for now. The method to control these many zombies as I please. Experiments regarding that. Actually, that’s something to do after obtaining results. You could call it a reward for the results. So, what I need to uncover before that is, as expected, the behavioral mechanism of the zombies. The question: "How do zombies perceive humans?"
The hypothesis so far is solid. Zombies retain sight and hearing. They use those to make their primary perception. When they discover something moving, they judge whether it's a human, a zombie, or something else. If it's a human, they attack; if it's a zombie, they ignore it. They ignore other things as well. Humans. Zombies react only to humans. No, I shouldn't use the word "only" so carelessly. I don't know for sure if they react to animals, too. Anyway, zombies judging humans isn't done simply through sight and hearing. They don't seem capable of such high-level thinking. If they were, they wouldn't be this stupid. It must be smell. Like pheromones. This hypothesis hasn't been debunked yet. So, it's correct to view the lymph nodes as masking something unique to humans. Therefore, I must test around that part.
Even if I have to wring out my non-functioning brain, I have to do it. As expected, the method I can think of is the process of elimination. Just like when I extracted lymph nodes from zombies, I could show them pieces of a human and see what they react to. But that's not easy with humans. If you cut off limbs, they die. I'm not some skilled surgeon, either. I don't know how to cut off limbs without endangering a life. So, I can't use the process of elimination carelessly. I'll have to use a different method. There are a few methods that come to mind. There are also a few experiments worth trying. So, what I need is, as expected, survivors.
The problem is, where are those survivors? The twelve from last time. And the women. I felt a slight regret that I killed them for no reason, but I erased it immediately. I don't regret it. Regretting and blaming yourself no matter what happens is a moronic thing to do. Reflection and improvement are enough. Blaming yourself for the past that cannot be undone is pathetic.
They'll be there. There's no way they aren't. Humans are incredibly tenacious. There are definitely survivors. It's just that I haven't found them yet. So, first, I'll scour Dongtan and Osan entirely. Then, I can look toward Suwon. If they aren't there either, I'll just go further out. Since I can drive around as I please, my movement has become a bit more free.
The first thing I did was search places like police stations. It's not just about ammunition; what I need most is a taser. To be precise, taser cartridges. A taser is an Informed Consent Form. A magical item that allows you to get approval regardless of the person's will. So, I make sure to pack plenty of taser cartridges. And I pack enough handcuffs, too.
In fact, there were more days I spent identifying zombie locations with drones than days I spent wandering around. Since I can narrow down the range, it's better than wandering aimlessly. Why go through the trouble? It's better to sit and click. It's much better than suddenly running into survivors while wandering around for no reason.
Come to think of it, I still remember the guys who blocked my path back then. Why on earth did they do that? I still don't understand. Well, thanks to them, I changed my search method, so it's something I'm grateful for. The problem is that it's not that easy to determine "zombie-free areas" with drones. There are quite a few zombie-free areas. It's even more ambiguous if it's unclear whether it's because people cleared them out or because there were few people to begin with. That's why I'm actually happy when I see zombies. It's a place where it's certain there are no people. It's a funny thing. Being happy to see zombies. But to me, for whom zombies aren't even a little bit threatening, it's a natural thing. People are scarier than zombies. That's an absolute truth.
As I continued my search, I finally discovered people. Two guys who look to be in their mid-20s. The sight of them skillfully hunting zombies. It's impressive to see them swinging baseball bats without flinching even when a zombie rushes them. After knocking down the zombies and delivering a coup de grâce by smashing their heads, they go back on their way. Looking at the backpacks on their backs, it seems they came out to get food and are heading back. First, I raise the altitude and follow them with the drone. At this height, they won't be able to find the drone by sound. They might discover it if they happen to look around, but that won't happen often. People rarely look up at the sky, surprisingly. Unless they're conscious of it, they probably won't look at the sky all day long.
Thanks to that, I confirmed where they were going. A library. The two guys entering that way. "Why a library?" I thought. Are they burning books for heat? That's not a bad idea. As it gets colder, there's nothing more important than heating to survive the winter. That's why Arjun has been gathering so much wood. He even went house to house smashing furniture. Anyway, knowing the location is enough. Now, I just have to watch them.
I went near them and set up a dashcam. And I spend a few more days. To grasp the total number of people. But there was something I didn't expect. The guys stayed at the library for six days, then abandoned it and moved elsewhere. At first, I thought I had been spotted. So I thought they ran away. But the place they moved to was a large church not too far from there. Seeing that, I knew for sure they didn't run away to avoid me. Are they just wandering around? Why do that? Is there a need to?
There were four of them. Two men and two women. It wasn't a coercive relationship. They seemed to get along well. Since the women's ages looked similar, it's more likely they were friends or lovers rather than family. First, they didn't have rifles. So I feel a bit relieved. What's scary is a rifle. There's nothing else to be afraid of. There's a chance they have pistols, but that doesn't matter. A weapon that can shoot me dead from afar is scary, but a pistol isn't that scary. Everyone surprisingly doesn't know the effective range of a pistol. If they knew that, there'd be no reason to be scared of a pistol. Of course, I don't handle things sloppily hoping for such luck, though.
I'm slowly going to get the consent forms. So, I made some preparations. Overnight, I herded some zombies. Then I placed them appropriately in the area a bit away from the church. I can't make them go too close. They are precious experimental participants, so I shouldn't let them mutate for no reason. The reason I surrounded them with zombies is to prevent them from running away to some strange place for no reason. There's nothing more terrible than an experimental rat escaping its cage and running away. If my intentions are read, the experimental rats will hide somewhere and not budge. I don't want to play hide-and-seek like that. When am I supposed to catch them? It's a waste of time.
They'll come out to get food again. Checking the footage from the past six days, they always came out to get food between 12 and 1 PM. But aren't they too lazy? What on earth are they doing in the morning to waste it all? Anyway, knowing their pattern, I waited leisurely. A building where the church entrance is visible. They always moved along the road. So I wait in a place where I can jump out at any time.
And just past 12 o'clock, two of them came out. Backpacks and baseball bats. Baseball caps, windbreakers, and jeans. If the weather gets colder, it will be harder to get consent. Because it will be difficult to shoot the taser if their clothes get thicker. So, I must catch these guys. Whether they are good guys or bad guys doesn't matter. I'm not in a situation where I can afford to weigh that right now.
The two guys approaching my building. They don't think for a second that someone might be hiding. They don't seem to worry about zombies much, either. They must be confident. Because they've survived until now. Such bravado is fine, but they shouldn't be arrogant. Because there's a guy like me. They contemplated where to go near my side, then turned to the right. Their backs are clearly visible. I want to go out right now and shoot the taser, but it'll be hard because of the backpacks. So, well, it can't be helped. I have to do it safely. So, I go outside without making a sound. And I fired my pistol into the sky.
Bang!
At the sound from right behind them, the two guys are startled, shrinking back as they turn toward me. And I shot the taser into one guy's chest. With a sound like "Ughhh," he collapsed, and the other one looks at me while gripping his baseball bat tightly. But he's flustered, not knowing what to do. That's natural. It would be funny if he wasn't flustered while I'm aiming a pistol at him. I discarded the taser and pulled out another one to shoot him. He collapsed, stiffening with the same "Ughhh" sound. Having received the consent of two people so easily, I immediately approach and handcuff them. Then I tie their bodies and legs with rope, and only then do I feel a sense of relief. Now. I've secured two. Now I have to go get consent from the two women left behind.