Ally (4)
A man whipped his head toward the opposite wall at the sudden sound, his pupils dilating to an impossible size.
The wall had vanished, replaced by a thick iron-barred gate. Beyond those bars, four snarling zombies stood glaring at him with ravenous hunger.
“Ugh! Uuuugh!”
The man shuddered violently, as if electrocuted, then scrambled on all fours toward the door the Shadow Shield operatives had just exited. He pounded on it with desperate fury.
“Open up! Please, let me out! Open this—open this thing! Open it! Open iiiit!”
Thud—! Clang—! Thud—!
The iron door rattled wildly, the noise almost as frantic as the man’s pleading. But the heavy lock showed no sign of yielding.
“Quit whining and turn around and fight, damn it! Where’s your fighting spirit? Hey! Hey, you stupid bastard! Turn and face them! We told you—just last ten minutes! Then we’ll come get you! We’re even giving you the latest suit and weapons! You’re gonna start begging without even trying? Open the cabinet and grab a weapon! Don’t wait until the zombies are loose to regret it!”
The researcher shouted in clear irritation. But the man had already run out of any will to fight.
“Sir! Pleeease! Please don’t do this, just save me! I can’t fight! Please!”
The man slammed his helmet against the floor and rubbed his hands together in supplication. When it became obvious the subject had no intention of changing his attitude, Yang Jaeyeol—who had been watching the pathetic display with bored eyes—gave a curt order.
“Just open it.”
After all, this experiment was only meant to test the Kevlar Suit’s level of completion. Whether the subject won or lost against the zombies didn’t matter. The real point was whether an ordinary person wearing a suit developed exclusively for the ABHT could survive ten minutes surrounded by zombies. If a sniveling coward like this one managed to last ten minutes, it would only prove the suit’s performance even more perfectly. So much the better.
“Ah, yes!”
The moment Yang Jaeyeol gave the command, the researcher bowed deeply and pressed a button on the control panel.
Clank—!
The iron bars that had separated the lab from the zombies slid rapidly sideways along their track.
“Graaaaah—! Gwaaaaah—!”
The zombies, who had been rubbing their faces against the bars while craving living flesh and blood, burst into the laboratory almost simultaneously.
Clang—! Clang—!
The sound of zombie feet slamming against the stainless-steel floor filled the lab, accompanied by even more grating roars that echoed loudly.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Seeing the zombies charging straight at him, the man screamed like a madman. He needed to get up… needed to run… but his legs had gone completely limp.
“Aaaagh! Uuuugh!”
He shoved against the iron door’s handle, using the rebound to crawl sideways. But he was far too slow to outpace the zombies.
Graaak—!
The lead zombie lunged with its jaws wide open, aiming straight for the man’s face.
“Aaaagh!”
The sight was so grotesque and terrifying that the man instinctively covered his face and hunched his shoulders. In the darkness behind his closed eyes, a horrific vision flashed through his mind—the zombie’s teeth sinking into his flesh. But then…
Crunch—! Boom—!
The zombie that had leaped at him slammed its teeth into his helmet, then slid off sharply to the side.
Thud—!
Knocked backward into the wall along with the zombie, the man’s eyes widened in shock. He had taken the full force of the creature’s charge—his head was ringing and his neck felt stiff—but thanks to the helmet and the thick padding over his upper body, no bones were broken and he hadn’t suffered a concussion. Even more astonishing was…
Drip—!
The fragments of the zombie’s teeth sliding down the helmet’s rounded surface along with its saliva. Those yellow, razor-sharp fangs that should have been buried in his throat had shattered against the helmet’s surface instead.
“Haa…!”
A small sound of hope escaped the man’s lips. He had been too terrified to listen properly earlier, but he still remembered the general explanation the Shadow Shield operatives had given. They had definitely said this suit was cutting-edge equipment developed at enormous cost, and that it was safe from zombie bites. In that case… maybe he really could last ten minutes…
Gwaaaaak—! Kraaak—!
While he was blinking and trying to cling to that positive thought, the zombies that had closed the distance pounced on his face and arms.
“Ugh!”
He was slammed violently into the wall again, letting out a groan. No matter how well the Kevlar Suit and helmet protected him from cuts, the sheer, unrelenting impact of creatures that attacked without any regard for their own bodies transmitted straight into his bones and muscles. Having been starved and unable to exercise for months, his body was already weakened to the limit, so the damage felt even worse.
Graaak—! Kaaaak—!
The zombies that had failed to bite him the first time sprang back up, flailing their arms wildly and trying to sink their teeth into anything they could reach. But the lubricating oil coating his Kevlar Suit caused their clawed fingers to slide off again and again.
“Huuuh…! This… this thing…!”
Maybe I can actually survive this? Feeling a spark of hope, the man shoved the zombies aside and crawled toward the center of the lab—toward the steel chair he had been forced into earlier and the cabinet beside it. There were weapons in there!
Graaaaah!
He had only managed a couple of crawling steps when the fourth zombie hurled itself at his head.
Throb—! Slip—!
Once again, the helmet and suit held firm, deflecting the zombie to the side.
Kwaaak—!
Having failed to bite him, the zombie swung its arm in an attempt to grab his shoulder, but immediately slipped and tumbled across the floor. The lubricated suit was proving far more effective than he had imagined.
“Haa…! Haa…! Uwaaaaah!”
With courage surging through him, the man shoved away the zombie trying to grab him and crawled desperately toward the cabinet.
Clatter—!
Kneeling, he reached out and yanked the cabinet door open. Several blunt weapons came into view—hammers, wrenches, a crowbar, an aluminum baseball bat… His eyes had just scanned across them when a zombie slammed into his torso.
Crunch—!
His head smashed into the cabinet wall and he tumbled backward. The impact on his dried-out neck and ribs felt like he had been in a minor car accident.
“Kuhk!”
The man screamed and braced himself against the floor. Stars exploded in front of his eyes, and the awkward angle of his neck made it nearly impossible to turn his head. With every breath, a sharp, stabbing pain pierced his chest. Still, he had managed to grab one thing before falling—a long, black, solid crowbar now clutched in his left hand.
“You bastard!”
He gritted his teeth, switched the crowbar to his right hand, and swung it with all his strength at the zombie charging at him again.
Crack—!
The blunt weapon struck the zombie’s shoulder, but the creature crashed into the man’s chest.
“Ugh!”
The man, who had been kneeling, toppled backward. The zombie sat on his waist and kept trying to bite him, snapping its jaws again and again.
“Get off! Damn it! Get off me!”
He desperately swung the crowbar, smashing it into the zombie’s side and pelvis. But being pinned underneath and swinging only with his wrists wasn’t enough to dislodge the creature.
“Stop lying there and twist your body! Get out from under it! Use the slippery advantage, you idiot!”
The researcher, unable to watch any longer, shouted advice. Deciding the suggestion made logical sense, the man grabbed the zombie’s head, shoved it sideways, and twisted his own hips left and right.
Boom—!
With a desperate struggle, his lower body finally slipped free from under the zombie. Once he regained his freedom, the man quickly braced himself on the floor and rose to his feet.
“Uwaaaaaaaaah! Yaaaaaah!”
Overwhelmed by an indescribable surge of excitement, the man let out a bizarre roar and raised the crowbar high. Ten minutes! If he could just hold on for ten more minutes, he could survive!
Graaaaaah—!
Three zombies that had closed the distance stretched their arms forward and charged at the same time. The man swung his weapon like a madman, hoping to at least crack one of their skulls…! But his heart was pounding so violently that even breathing properly or delivering accurate strikes was difficult.
Crack—! Scraaape—!
While he was striking the middle zombie’s face at an angle, the one on the right tackled his fully exposed flank.
“Kuhk!”
He let out a short scream as he flew into the wall along with the right-side zombie.
Boom—! Clatter—!
His helmet smashed against the wall once more, and the weapon slipped from his grasp with a despairing metallic clang. But far worse was the way his knee had buckled under the full weight of the zombie.
“Aaaaaagh! Aaaagh! Uuuugh!”
He frantically shoved the zombie away and let out a high-pitched scream as he looked down at his leg. His foot… was twisted in the completely opposite direction!
“Uuuuugh!”
Tears streaming down his face, the man tried to use the wall to stand, but…
Slip—!
The incredibly smooth suit caused him to collapse again immediately. His mind was frantic, but his body refused to obey. The loyal ally that had caused so many zombies to slip earlier—the lubricating oil—had now become an enemy, tripping him up at the worst possible moment.
Crunch—!
Another zombie body-slammed him, while the third leaped onto his legs from the opposite side.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!”
The man screamed as an enormous load was placed on his shattered knee. But the zombies’ roars were even louder, pounding against his eardrums.
Graaaaaah—! Gwaaaaaah—!
The zombies surrounding him continued their relentless assault, slipping and breaking teeth yet never stopping.
“Get off! Get off! Fuck!”
The man swung wild punches using the knuckle plates attached to his gloves. Zombie eyeballs burst. Flesh tore. But it did nothing to hinder them. They took turns pinning him down, stomping on his broken leg, and digging their clawed fingers into every part of his body.
Thud—! Thud—!
Every time he blinked, a different rotting face appeared in front of his helmet. How long had this hellish time continued…?
Riiip—!
A fatal sound came from the man’s tightly stretched flank. It was the sound of the Kevlar Suit’s seam tearing.
Graaaaah—!
A zombie’s hand, flailing randomly, dug into the torn seam and yanked. In that instant, the side of the Kevlar Suit that had protected the man until now was ripped wide open.
Riiip—! Tear—!
Even Yang Jaeyeol and the researcher watching from a distance were shocked by the sight. They had poured so much effort into this equipment—how could it tear apart so easily?
Of course, the most shocked person was the man pinned beneath the zombies.
“Uwaaah! Uwaaaaaah!”
Seeing his suit being shredded like rags by the zombies’ hands, the man turned deathly pale. And then immediately…
Crunch—! Crack—! Chew—! Slurp—! Crunch, rip—!
The sounds of human flesh being devoured began to echo.
“Kaaaaaaaagh! Uuuuugh! Uuuugh!”
No matter how violently the man struggled to pull away, the zombies that had caught their prey had no intention of letting go. They buried their heads into his now-exposed flank and abdomen, continuously tearing off and swallowing chunks of meat.
Splurt—!
Blood sprayed from the thrashing man’s mouth, staining the inside of his helmet red. That was the end.
“Hey, hey, hey! Turn off the camera! Turn it off!”
The flustered researcher grabbed the microphone and gave the irritated order. At that moment, the digital clock on the wall changed from 8:08 to 8:07. To the man it had felt like an eternity of pure hell, yet in reality, only one minute and fifty seconds had passed.
“President Yang! I… I don’t know how to explain this. It’s too strange! The X-1 injection sample definitely lasted fifteen minutes…”
The researcher, his face drained of all color, bowed deeply as he turned to Yang Jaeyeol.
“Ah.”
Yang Jaeyeol gave a short, irritated reply. When injected with X-1, all the muscles below the upper lip became uncontrollable. In other words, the subject became a mannequin that could feel pain. The difference between a mannequin and a living person was obvious. Unlike a mannequin, a person surrounded by zombies would sweat and take desperate, awkward postures to escape. That inevitably pushed the internal friction and elasticity of the suit to its absolute limit. With the prototype delivery only days away, this was unacceptable.
“Clean that up and bring me the suit.”
Yang Jaeyeol frowned lightly and pointed at the zombies still tearing into the man.
“Yes! Yes, understood!”
The researcher hurriedly issued orders to clean up the scene. Shadow Shield operatives wearing the bulky, spacesuit-like prototype ABHT suits descended via elevator and herded the zombies back behind the iron bars, while another team stripped the experimental suit from the now-lifeless man.
Splaaash—!
While a high-pressure washer from the lower floor cleaned the blood and flesh from the floor and walls, the bloodstained suit was brought to Yang Jaeyeol.
Thud—!
He removed the helmet and chest padding and carefully examined the area around the flank where the suit had first torn. There were no obvious defects in the product itself. The cut edges of the fabric looked normal, the stitching was intact, and the seam-sealing tape meant to increase adhesion was still loosely attached.
“Tsk!”
When his hope that something had been manufactured incorrectly was dashed, Yang Jaeyeol clicked his tongue in displeasure. The fact that the suit had torn like this despite being made exactly to specifications was far more serious than a simple sewing defect. It meant there was a fundamental flaw in the design itself.
“Well… making it a double-layered structure would improve durability, but that would interfere with our weight-reduction goals, sir. After all, it would mean using two full layers of this already heavy fabric.”
The researcher carefully watched Yang Jaeyeol’s expression as he offered a rather weak excuse. When Yang Jaeyeol showed no favorable reaction, the man’s voice grew even more desperate.
“But the military wants a suit they can wear constantly during operations, so even though we’re aware of this limitation, we had no choice but to focus even more on making it lightweight…”
“Hey! Hey!”
Yang Jaeyeol barked a single sharp word that clearly meant Do you think this is acceptable? and slapped the researcher’s face with the bloodstained sleeve of the suit. The military had requested a suit that could last ten minutes. In reality, it hadn’t even lasted two. Of course, the test subject had been so terrified he could barely function like a normal person, but even so, this level of quality was completely unacceptable.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll make the research team pull all-nighters if necessary and ensure this issue is fixed immediately!”
“Ah.”
Yang Jaeyeol gave another curt, displeased reply. This particular “ah” meant, If you don’t want to climb into the suit and test it yourself, do it right. As Yang Jaeyeol glared at the researchers, his phone began to ring.
Ring—! Ring—!
“God damn it…!”
Yang Jaeyeol yanked out his phone in a burst of irritation. He was already in a foul mood—who the hell was calling him and causing a scene…?
“Oh my!”
The moment he saw the caller ID, Yang Jaeyeol immediately pressed the answer button and rushed out into the hallway.
“I love you, Chairman Yoon! Oh, what an honor to receive a personal call from you…!”
His voice instantly switched into subordinate mode as he bowed deeply while speaking. The employees standing in the hallway stared in shock, but he didn’t care about their gazes. Be strict with those below, adorable with those above. That was the survival philosophy he had learned through a lifetime of effort.
— Yeah, Jaeyeol. How’s the work going?
The man on the other end of the line asked. There was some background noise, suggesting he was probably in a car. Yang Jaeyeol swallowed dryly and answered in an exaggeratedly respectful tone.
“Oh my, yes! Yes! Thanks to you, Chairman…!”
— Are you at the company?
“Yes, Chairman! We were in the middle of testing the Kevlar Suit for delivery!”
— I see. Let me take a look. I’ll be there soon.
With that, the man hung up without giving Yang Jaeyeol a chance to reply or say goodbye. Sharp as a knife. He had said “soon,” but gave no specific time.
“Fuck… what am I supposed to say…?”
Faced with an unscheduled visit, Yang Jaeyeol bit his lip hard. There was still so much of this man’s work that hadn’t been finished yet…