Chapter 45

33. Moving (1)

The uninvited guests from PaleNet had disappeared like the tide going out.

ㅇㅇ : ㄹㅇ They're all just a bunch of no-fun bastards.

The anonymous user reviews said it all.

ㅇㅇ : Especially that Skeleton guy. How old is he? He's still making those same old jokes...

I don't understand why I keep running into these people, but at this point, maybe Defender's comment that I'm really bad at the internet is true.

Defender made a surprising proposal about a week after the gunfire in the north had stopped.

Message from Defender: I can't take it anymore. I need to move.

SKELTON : This place isn't that bad, is it?

Message from Defender: I'm thinking of moving to your area.

SKELTON : What?!

Message from Defender: Is there a problem?

There is a problem.

To be honest, neither you nor your sister is normal.

These guys coming to my bunker?

Just thinking about it gives me the chills.

Message from Defender: I'm not talking about going to your bunker. Unlike some people, we know how to keep a low profile.

SKELTON : What do you mean?

Message from Defender: Didn't you hear from your friends before the war that you were clueless?

SKELTON : ?

Message from Defender: Oh, you don't have many friends, do you?

SKELTON : (Denial)

Message from Defender: Anyway, I've already scouted a place. It's about 3km away from your house.

SKELTON : 3km away?!

Message from Defender: I'll respect your privacy as much as possible, so please help me. We're friends on the internet, right?

Message from Defender: (Desperate plea) If you don't help me, we'll die!

It doesn't seem like he's joking.

Defender's territory has always been eventful, and now there are former military raiders around.

But to move during this period of destruction?

Moving was a significant event even before the war, and now, with everything in ruins, it's a matter of life and death.

Message from Defender: I have a plan.

Defender sent a map with his relocation plan and route.

His plan, well, it's very much like him.

A balanced mix of rationality and madness.

Since the area is controlled by well-armed former military raiders, Defender chose a route where they are least likely to be present.

So, the route Defender designed passes through zombie zones, cult-controlled areas, and monster territories.

SKELTON : What's a cult-controlled area?

Message from Defender: It exists. I can't remember the name, though.

SKELTON : (Thinking)

Message from Defender: (Eager eyes) Will you come?

“...”

I have to. What choice do I have?

I've been down this road before, and these people won't let me die.

Even if, by some miracle, the Defender siblings successfully move without me, it would still be a problem.

They might cut ties with me, and Skeleton could become a fierce anti-fan.

That would be a greater emotional wound than if Defender died.

Most importantly, aren't we internet friends?

SKELTON : (197cm100Kg30cm Skeleton)

I replied boldly, reflecting the latest style of my idol.

Message from Defender: ?

Message from Defender: What the hell are you talking about?

“...”

Maybe it was too difficult for Defender to understand.

*Defender is a bit of a killer and uses harsh words, but he's a friend with good instincts and a sense of humor.

We agreed to meet in the middle.

As usual, we set out late in the evening and crossed the darkness.

Bang!

The sound of gunfire in the distance is no longer rare.

A light I hadn't seen before appeared in the northeast.

Probably some pioneers.

Bang! Bang!

One of the reasons pioneers venture into the dangerous wilderness is for firearms.

It's better to have a gun outside the city than to starve to death without weapons in the city.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunfire continues rapidly.

It sounds like a battle.

I turned on the radio.

-Static! This is the 423rd Pioneer Squad! Mutations! Mutations are circling our squad! Anyone who can support, please do so immediately!

A moment later, the radio crackled again.

-This is the 423rd Pioneer Squad! What we thought were mutations were actually hares. Apologies for the confusion.

It was a full moon.

Although full moons usually don't bring such events, the thick clouds made it as dark as a new moon.

So, they must have fired by mistake.

The full moon only illuminated the ground when the clouds allowed it.

Using the gunfire and faint lights as guides, I arrived at the agreed location.

I checked the GPS and sent a signal with the K-walkie-talkie.

Beep- beep beep beep beep---

Short beeps repeated twice.

I looked around.

Three flashes of light came from the northeast forest.

We agreed not to respond, using radio for one side and light for the other.

It's inconvenient, but with so many people, and people being the biggest threat, it's a necessary precaution.

Defender was waiting for me at a spot where I could easily catch the light.

"Skeleton."

Defender, whom I hadn't seen in a while, looked a bit thinner but was still as shameless and handsome as ever.

His eyes seemed sharper than before.

Maybe all the killing has leveled him up.

"Let's go."

He handed me a headset.

When I put it on, I heard static and then Defender's sister's voice.

"Skeleton! Is it really you?"

"What?"

"I mean, that... 30cm thing...?"

"......It's a kind of metaphor."

"Is it some kind of oxymoron?"

I decided not to ask what an oxymoron was.

We can joke around when we get to Defender's place.

The air is bad.

It's not so much a stench as a feeling of foreboding.

Defender pointed to the south.

The monster territory, which I had seen before, had grown.

From the hill by the river, the monster territory, which I had seen from a distance before, had expanded to the riverbank.

If I hadn't killed the monsters in our territory on time, our area would also be covered in a gloomy gray and would have twisted and withered all living things.

"From here on, it's a rough road."

Defender climbed the slope without a path nimbly.

I followed, grabbing branches.

He followed the steep slope just below the ridge.

It seems he wants to avoid being observed from the opposite side.

Soon, he gestured to me from behind a rock.

"Look over there."

Beyond the ridge, numerous lights were flickering.

It's the army.

APCs, jeeps, and tanks were packed into the abandoned factory grounds.

"?"

But there are too many.

There are dozens of tanks and attack helicopters on trailers.

Why would they gather such forces here at this time?

It doesn't look like they're dealing with monsters.

Defender looked down at the camp and said with a bitter smile.

"Do you understand why I need to move?"

"I guess I do. But why are they gathered like this?"

"They've been here since two months ago, and their numbers have been increasing. They only communicate through encrypted channels."

"......What does that mean?"

A chill ran down my spine.

I had a feeling I knew the purpose of this army.

"PaleNet and our forums have been saying that the Legion faction has split for months, but maybe it's all a staged act."

It could be.

Defender took a step forward.

"But whether the Legion faction or the Parliament faction takes power, it's not our problem."

I agree.

Whoever takes power, it's a story of a different world that has nothing to do with us.

If there's one wish, it's that whoever takes power, they last as long as possible.

The longer they hold out in the north, the more time I have.

Beyond the secret military gathering, another gray area spread.

What a messed-up place! I thought to myself and spoke casually.

"Was this area also eroded?"

The last time I came here, it was fine.

There were no signs of erosion, and I hadn't heard of any monsters appearing.

Defender sighed and told me a truth I didn't know.

"Apparently, some crazy people brought several capsules."

"Capsules?"

"I didn't see them myself, but I heard it on the military frequency."

Capsules.

I've moved capsules before, but it was a necessary choice.

At the time, I had less freedom, and the Korean government and Kim Dalram were still intact.

A single monster could be dealt with easily if Kim Dalram helped a bit.

But unlike me, there are people who really want to introduce monsters into this world.

"Could those cultists be...?"

Fools who mistake the result of peace and coexistence for the cause.

They are the true culprits who drove China to destruction.

"Manryuguisijo?"

I hadn't said that unholy name in a long time.

Defender nodded.

"Yeah, that's what they were called."

Defender gritted his teeth.

"......I should have killed them all when I met them by chance on the road."

A thick smoke rises from beyond the gray forest.

Smoke from burning wood.

People are living there.

Could it really be the Manryuguisijo?

No other religion teaches people to live next to monsters.

"......Did they come to Korea too?"

"Those soulless bastards who believe in cults don't care about borders or reasons."

Defender might be right.

There are surprisingly many people in this world who choose to destroy themselves.

What I'm seeing is one of those types.

People who would burn and disappear even without the apocalypse.

"Shouldn't you have told me earlier?"

"I thought you wouldn't come if I did."

Defender was honest.

Indeed, this guy was in China.

He knows that cultists are as threatening as the army.

Of course, some people underestimate cultists.

They have poor equipment and training compared to the army.

But they are not easy opponents.

It's not just about the size of their belief or their disregard for death.

Sometimes, among the cultists, those chosen by their god appear, according to their language.

I whispered to Defender.

"Are there any Awakened among them?"

Defender was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"......I'm not sure. But there was something similar."

People say the first Awakened appeared among the hunters, but that's not true.

The first Awakened appeared among the cultists living in the eroded areas.

This was a fact witnessed simultaneously by me and the Chinese army.

I still remember the words of Lieutenant Lee Jaho, who connected us and the Chinese army.

"That's......a human mutation? No, a human turned into a monster?"

That information was already deleted and hidden when I had access to classified information.

Now, it's probably just a legend remembered by a few.

It's inevitable.

Dark times yearn for heroes, and heroes only appear in dramatic situations.

Defender contacted his sister through the headset.

"We're at the open field. Do some recon."

"Ah, Captain!"

We waited.

Soon, a black dot appeared in the darkness.

It's a Chinese combat drone equipped with night vision.

"Clear. You can go."

Before his sister finished speaking, Defender sprinted across the open field.

The moonlight revealed the ground clearly as the clouds thinned, but there was no hesitation in his sprint.

I followed, though reluctantly.

When our breaths were pleasantly full, we entered a dense forest again.

"From here on, it's my territory."

Thick clouds completely covered the sky and the moon, so we had to move by feel in the pitch-black darkness.

After a few ups and downs, Defender stopped.

"Let's turn back."

He pointed to a corner of the darkness with a laser pointer.

It's a Claymore anti-personnel mine.

Maliciously, it's set up under a narrow path between rocks, and when triggered, it will turn the person and their companions into rags with hundreds of steel balls.

"It wasn't here before. It seems to have been set up recently."

"Those guys?"

"Maybe. The important thing is that we can't live in this area anymore."

"Agreed."

The detour was more like a rock climbing course.

It's a trick made possible by the darkness.

Soon, a high gable roof appeared faintly in the dim distance.

Defender's house.

It took quite a while, but we arrived safely.

But Defender suddenly turned around.

"Sorry."

He passed me.

"Let's take another route."

"Why?"

"There's something I don't want to see. I'm really sorry."

It was a sincere apology, not a casual one.

Why would he turn back when his house is right there?

Just as I was about to turn around with a question in my mind, the world suddenly brightened.

There was a tiny gap between the thick clouds covering the moon and stars, and the moonlight, which had been tightly hidden, mercifully covered the world.

The brief light revealed a secret hidden by the darkness.

A body was hanging from a tree.

A dried, mummified body.

The body, which had hanged itself, was looking down at the theme park below with hollow eyes.

The dried, twisted face strangely resembled the features of the Defender siblings.