The First Evolved Zombie
The reconnaissance took far longer than I expected. I couldn't just hop on Jeokto and zip around, and I had to actually inspect the buildings properly. On top of that, I kept having to clear out the zombies that swarmed toward me. It was only natural that I started getting irritated.
Just a few minutes ago a whole pack of normal zombies had come rushing in, forcing me to swing Beopbong around for what felt like forever.
“Ah!”
“Shut up.”
“If I’d known it’d be like this, I never would’ve come on this recon trip.”
“You really are simple-minded.”
Noh Changhun had been scribbling something in his notebook since earlier. I knew exactly why he wasn’t fighting. While we were out here anyway, he was going to map out every useful building nearby so we could head back with actual intel. He figured we’d need safe places to rest in case things went south. Understanding that, I’d been handling all the combat myself so he could write in peace.
Normal zombies only took one or two solid hits from Beopbong anyway. Even the variants weren’t anything special yet. They seemed a little tougher and stronger, sure, but they were still all equal before my iron club. Still, playing cleanup crew had its limits. After doing it alone for so long, I was starting to get seriously annoyed.
I was about to complain when Noh Changhun pointed at one of the buildings.
“See that commercial building over there?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s a terrace on the second floor.”
“Yeah.”
“Looks like it could work as a midway base. Let’s clear it out.”
“Yeah.”
“What are you waiting for? Get moving.”
“Huh?”
My head was still foggy. No matter how necessary the job was, there had to be a limit to how hard he could work me. This wasn’t dog training, for crying out loud.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“Plan our operations from here.”
“What operations?”
“Resupply routes based on the distance between nearby convenience stores, marts, and buildings.”
“...?”
“You didn’t understand, did you?”
“I understood perfectly!”
If soldiers were going to move, they needed food and water. Thankfully there was a river nearby, so water wasn’t an issue, but food had to be gathered. That meant plotting paths that connected buildings for resupply while we advanced. I understood that we’d have to handle logistics on the fly during this rushed push.
Noh Changhun listened to my explanation, then reached over and ruffled my hair.
“You understood well.”
“Huh? Y-yeah, I guess?”
“What’s with that reaction? Why are you acting so weird?”
“I just didn’t expect a compliment, okay?”
Noh Changhun nodded slowly.
“True. You’re usually pretty dumb most of the time.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind. Just go handle it. It’s seven floors, so it’ll take a while.”
“...”
There weren’t that many zombies inside the building. Shops with open doors were completely empty, and even the closed ones only had one or two at most. I could call it a positive situation. The fact that zombies were gathering northward wasn’t exactly good news, but at least it would make things easier for the survivors.
“Sigh.”
“Groan…?”
The head of a zombie that hadn’t even registered the situation went flying through the air. As I pulled Beopbong back, another nearby zombie turned and let out a moan. I sent that one to join its friend, then spent a long time checking every single shop to make sure I hadn’t missed any.
“Ugh.”
Inspecting buildings was an incredibly tedious job. You stayed tense wondering if something would jump out, only to feel completely deflated when you opened a door to find nothing. At least if there were dangerous variants inside it would’ve been worth the nerves. But every single one was so weak it barely qualified as a threat. So of course it was annoying as hell.
It would’ve been nice if I could at least feel some sense of accomplishment. After clearing up to the sixth floor like that, I finally headed up to the seventh.
“...Hm?”
There was one normal zombie in the seventh-floor hallway. But its skin color was slightly different. Normal zombies usually had greenish skin. Even variants stayed within the green spectrum. This one, however, had blue-gray skin.
“How long has it been… since the outbreak…?”
It had been two months since the disaster began. The evolution of normal zombies wasn’t supposed to happen for several more months. This was very different from what I remembered. Then again, there had already been signs. The parasite. A variant that shouldn’t have appeared yet had shown up months early. If that was any indication, evolution might be accelerating too.
“Groan…?”
The zombie looked at what I was holding, slowly scanned its surroundings, and spotted a fire extinguisher lying nearby. It picked it up as if it already knew how to use one, grabbing the hose like a flail. I swallowed hard.
The reason normal zombies had been easy was because their attack patterns were simple. They’d just rush in, grab on, and bite. That was it. I could knock them down before they even processed the situation or counter them mid-charge. But the normal zombies that would start appearing from now on would be different. They might not be geniuses, but they’d have the intelligence of a young teen at least.
The moment it saw I was armed, it went for the fire extinguisher. That alone proved it.
“...”
“Groan…!”
The zombie swung the hose. I easily ducked under it, then charged forward and shoved the creature. It couldn’t resist and toppled backward. It flailed its limbs awkwardly, trying to get up with a desperate growl. Of course I had no intention of letting it stand.
I stomped down hard on its upper body. After a brief struggle, its head cracked open. I left the corpse there and thought for a moment. The first person that came to mind was Noh Changhun. It was almost impossible for him to be in real danger, but still. He was alone, focused on planning, and distracted.
“Ugh…”
“Groan…!”
“Ah, get lost!”
Luckily the zombie that charged this time was an ordinary one. For once, that familiar green skin actually looked welcoming. I hurled the fire extinguisher that had fallen to the floor. After confirming the kill on the one I’d knocked down, I let out a long sigh.
I was worried about the campus. Kang Siwoo was incredibly capable, but even he had limits. The students at the campus weren’t as competent or brave as he assumed. They were just ordinary people who might run away depending on the situation. The confusion caused by zombies that broke all common sense… Even someone like Kang Siwoo would have a hard time controlling that.
On top of that, Kang Siwoo was in a position where he couldn’t freely share information. Unless I went back and explained everything that had happened, he’d be forced to stay silent.
“...Damn it.”
Of course, it wasn’t like the campus would collapse just because I didn’t return. The people there weren’t so weak that one shock would destroy them. Like steel tempered by rain, they’d only grow stronger. Besides, I was in a position where I had to see this novel through to its ending. That meant I had to stick close to Noh Changhun.
Kang Siwoo had sent me knowing I might not return for a long time. He would’ve already figured out how to fill my absence.
“Groan…!”
“I said get lost!”
The zombies had zero sense of atmosphere. If someone was sitting there deep in thought, they should at least wait before attacking. Instead they kept creeping out at the sound of fighting. I couldn’t take it anymore. I spent a while wiping out every last zombie on the seventh floor and the roof, then trudged back down to the first floor.
Noh Changhun was still scribbling away in his notebook. He hadn’t stayed put the whole time, though. He must have moved around while I was clearing the building. There was no way the blood on his knuckles got there otherwise.
“Hey, Changhun.”
“What.”
“Normal zombies have started evolving. Did you know?”
“I know. A few have shown up recently. I’m keeping it secret for now.”
“Because it’ll cause a headache if people find out?”
“Yeah. It’ll cause a headache if people find out.”
Noh Changhun snapped his notebook shut, slipped it into his pocket, and continued slowly.
“Evolution and mutation are happening faster than I predicted.”
“Ugh…”
“And judging by your reaction, you’re worried about the campus.”
“...Do you have mind-reading powers?”
“No. You’re just simple. I knew you wouldn’t be worried about the military base since you’re already here.”
“...”
“You’d be worried about somewhere you can’t rush back to. So it’s obvious. Not Seunghak Campus, then where?”
Noh Changhun looked smug, like he’d predicted all of this. I glanced back and forth between Beopbong in my hand and his head. Zombies and this guy were equally bad at reading the room. Here I was, heart heavy with worry, and he just had to call me simple to my face. I seriously wanted to smack him. Hard.
“Still, don’t worry, Yeji.”
“...Why?”
“I was basically a freelancer here anyway. Once things settle, I was planning to head to the campus.”
“Really?! Ah, I mean… Really!?”
“Why are you surprised twice?”
I laughed awkwardly. The first surprise was pure joy at the thought of traveling together. Being with him put my mind at ease, and I never had to worry during fights. I’d been wanting to ask if he’d keep going with me, assuming he was okay with it. If he still had work with the military, I would’ve backed off.
The second surprise was embarrassment. I could already picture a few people at the campus making teasing jokes once we arrived together. Kim Yeonhua and Lee Ayoung would probably chime in with their own congratulations. Even though we were still just friends, the mere thought of being asked if we were lovers made my face burn.
After listening to all of that, Noh Changhun simply said one word: “Blockhead.”
I immediately kicked him in the shin. As usual, the only one who ended up in pain was my own foot.