Destruction — Chapter 29

What’s that…?

A piece of paper was sticking out from his jacket. Just tugging lightly at the corner was enough to pull it free. As Saejin examined the sheet, Woobeom stepped beside him so they could look together.

It was like a flyer, but the contents were anything but light.

[ To all survivors. To those who have no food at home but can’t go outside because of monsters, and to those who fear the future as supplies continue to dwindle.

Every Wednesday, we will release monsters in remote, unpopulated areas. We cannot remove every monster from the city, so the streets will still be dangerous, but we hope this will at least bring a little stability.

Of course, deaths from the virus are still occurring, so there is a limit to how many we can release. However, on the day of release, the number of monsters occupying the city should decrease to some extent.

On Wednesday late afternoon (around 20:00), come to the front of Suwon Station. We at Z Mart will provide food supplies.

※ We have plenty of stock, so please do not rush. Wear something protective and walk slowly while avoiding monsters.

※ It is said that incubating infected individuals travel in groups. If you see someone who is unprotected and suspected to be incubating, avoid them immediately. ]

Saejin’s eyes halted on the familiar name of the mart. It was a nationwide chain with hundreds of branches, a company large enough to be considered a major corporation. With that kind of size, it made sense they’d have plenty of supplies, but the idea that they intended to distribute all this to survivors was shocking.

What the flyer suggested was simple: a major corporation had stepped in to help civilians. Their plan was to draw monsters out of the chaotic city using speakers and release them into a remote mountain. The intention and expected effect were good, but the people who had tried to carry out this act of goodwill had ended up murdered.

“The infected probably couldn’t stand seeing uninfected people living well.”

“…I think so too.”

In the distance, an unattended motorcycle came into view, something neither of them had noticed earlier in the panic. Whoever was responsible must have chased the Z Mart workers on that motorcycle, killed them after they released the monsters, then switched to the truck to drive away. If the number of monsters in the city dropped, the chances of the uninfected surviving would rise, and the infected didn’t want that. That’s why they’d done something this insane.

A tired sigh escaped.
The employees in charge of distribution… they might have been killed by now too.

If the infected had hunted down the team handling the release, then the supply team was probably also in danger. Especially since the infected had firearms. Even if the mart workers hadn’t been slaughtered yet, they would have noticed the threat. Supply efforts couldn’t continue.

No one knew how many monsters had been released into the mountains, but it was unlikely this kind of operation would happen again. Woobeom seemed to think the same thing; he didn’t look especially worried about any follow-up attempts.

…Should I be relieved that the first attempt failed?

Saejin didn’t voice that selfish thought. Regardless of the good intentions behind releasing the monsters, the villa he and Woobeom lived in was right above the mountain. Of course, Z Mart had no way of knowing there was a villa here. But even if they did… that would only lead to headaches. Rumors spread fast. It was best that no one ever learned about the villa.

While Saejin was distracted by the paper, Woobeom pulled off the gloves from one of the bodies. The man hadn’t been dead long, so the gloves were still in good condition. Since they might run into monsters while climbing back up, Woobeom didn’t hesitate to take what they could. He felt a little sorry, but practicality came first.

“Let’s go.”

While Saejin sorted through his thoughts, Woobeom finished checking the area and suggested they climb back up. Sunset was coming, and it would take time to return. Knowing Saejin was already tired, he deliberately shortened his stride.

“If they brought zombies from the city… then a huge number must have entered the mountain, right?”

Stepping onto a patch of dry leaves, Saejin frowned with worry. The mountain was huge and complicated, so the chances of them wandering near Woobeom’s property were low, but dragging city monsters out here meant there might be hundreds. It was impossible not to be uneasy.

“Probably.”

There was no point getting irritated; variables could happen anytime. All they could do was hope their peaceful villa life continued as long as possible.

“What’s wrong? Do you see something?”

Even when they were walking fine, Woobeom would suddenly stop and check their surroundings. The only sound was the rustling of nature in the wind. Seeing his tense reaction made Saejin tense as well.

He could feel something, but with monsters now in the mountain, and the fact that wild animals lived here too, he couldn’t be certain. To calm the nervous Saejin, Woobeom shook his head, then positioned him in front instead of behind. Keeping him in sight made it easier to react quickly.

About ten minutes into their climb, trouble struck, unexpected and sudden.

When Woobeom had checked the area near the road earlier, there hadn’t been any infected left. But apparently someone had followed them into the mountain, hiding their presence on purpose. The moment the incubating infected caught up, they fired their gun at Woobeom.

The gunshot roared through the forest, and Saejin’s shoulders jerked violently. He spun around to see what the sound was…

And he saw Woobeom clutching his shoulder.

A sharp breath escaped between Woobeom’s teeth as he frowned. His face went pale. When he pressed hard against the area near his back shoulder, blood poured down, raining onto the ground. The brown leaves were quickly soaked bright red.

“Hy… hyung…?”

His eyes, shaken with panic, trembled uncontrollably. As Saejin stammered and stepped toward where Woobeom had stopped, a man hidden behind him finally revealed himself.

“Strange, isn’t it? Why would someone be up here, huh?”

Waving the gun in his hand with a sneer, the man motioned for Saejin to step back. When the infected man widened his eyes and rolled them around, the darkened skin around his sockets twitched. It hit Saejin then, an infected had followed them.

“Why so quiet? What, it’s obvious. You two were climbing the mountain together because you’ve got something hidden up here, right?”

Unable to answer, Saejin made eye contact with Woobeom. Despite having been shot, Woobeom was far too calm, so calm that it felt like he didn’t feel pain at all.

“And this guy… is he built tough or what? Anyone else would be screaming. Looks like he got shot with a BB gun.”

Poking Woobeom in the back with the gun’s muzzle, the infected man yelled at Saejin.

“If you don’t want him to drop dead, take me where you were headed.”

“…Should be.”

“What?”

When Saejin mumbled, the infected asked what the hell he was trying to say.

The one who’s going to drop dead… is you.

Saejin kept that thought to himself as he glanced between Woobeom’s cold, heavy stare and the infected man’s smirking face. Even through the gloves, the way Woobeom gripped the club, unnaturally hard, made the tendons on the back of his hand stand out. He was quietly furious. That was the only way Saejin could describe it.

But the man he expected to strike at any moment remained still. Unsure how to react, Saejin could only open and close his lips without getting any words out.

“Go.”

A short command from Woobeom.

For a moment, Saejin stared at him, wide-eyed. Go… to the villa?
Why would they drag an infected there? He wanted to pry open Woobeom’s head and see what he was thinking, but that was impossible. Forced to obey, Saejin began walking, flexing his fingers anxiously, thinking about Woobeom following behind.

No matter how strong he was, he still had a gunshot wound. Climbing the mountain without proper pressure on the wound would drain him fast. Saejin worried he might collapse before they reached the villa.

“You sure we’re going the right way? Try anything funny, and I swear I’ll make him an infected right now.”

Kill you. Turn you.
The threats continued from behind. Even so, Saejin knew the infected wouldn’t actually do anything before reaching the villa. He needed something from them, and hurting the hostage would only make things worse for him.

To Saejin, the trail back up the mountain felt like an entirely new path. He relied on faint traces from earlier to find the way. Since Woobeom didn’t correct him, he assumed this direction was right and kept climbing.

The man with the gun followed close behind. Saejin didn’t even have the luxury to feel if his stomach hurt; adrenaline pushed him forward, but not forever. His unhealed body had limits.

He trudged up even the steep sections without complaint, until suddenly his footing faltered. The first time, he barely caught himself. But that kind of luck didn’t last twice.

Stepping on a frost-covered stone, Saejin’s ankle twisted and he fell forward. Unfortunately, the impact hit squarely on his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. He groaned, unable to get up right away. The man spat out coarse curses, telling him to stop pretending.

Listening to the filthy words, Woobeom growled a single low sentence.

“No shame talking like that to a kid, huh.”

“What? Kid? Kiid? Did getting shot fry your brain? You know what situation you’re in?”

Agitated, the man jabbed the muzzle hard into Woobeom’s chest as if he might shoot at any second. Even with the threat, Woobeom didn’t flinch. Saejin, terrified the man would fire out of rage, broke into a cold sweat. He forced himself up again, legs trembling.

If the man totally lost control and started firing wildly, Woobeom could be seriously wounded, or killed. Saejin had to pull the man’s attention off him. Groaning, he started walking toward the villa again, and the furious man spat on the ground and followed.

Not long after they resumed walking, the stench of rot thickened, and monsters began to appear one by one. The more decayed ones had bones exposed; they’d probably stop moving soon. Even the infected man kept his mouth shut, he knew making noise would attract them.

It wasn’t out of concern for Saejin and Woobeom. Even an infected didn’t want to breathe that rotten stink up close. He kept pinching his nose every time a monster approached.

…He must be really damn curious.

The man was willing to threaten them all the way up the mountain just to see what they were hiding. Whether it was curiosity or the desire for supplies, it was strong.

Standing in front of the fence marking the property line, Saejin announced their arrival.

“We have to climb over this.”

“Holy shit, something like this was up here?”

Thinking it was just an abandoned mountain, the man cackled like he’d found treasure. He motioned for Saejin to climb first, telling him to guide them all the way to the end. But climbing the fence without Woobeom’s help was a challenge for Saejin.

He shoved his fingers between the diamond-shaped gaps in the metal and took a shaky breath. Telling himself the pain would only last a moment, he lifted his foot. His unsteady movement tugged at his injury, sending a sharp ache through his abdomen. Even so, he gritted his teeth and climbed over.

As soon as he reached the other side, the man grabbed the fence and began climbing too. He clearly intended to leave Woobeom, who couldn’t use one arm, behind.

He was underestimating Woobeom far too much.

“Yoon Saejin.”

Watching the man cling awkwardly to the fence, Woobeom called Saejin’s name calmly. Then he grabbed the back of the man’s neck in one swift motion. His grip was so strong that his fingers sank immediately into the skin. The man choked and kicked wildly, trying to get down, but Woobeom’s strength as he shoved him against the fence was overwhelming. The man’s face pressed into the metal, bulging between the shapes.

“There’s a shovel in the villa’s storage. Go get it. We’ll bury him.”

Saejin didn’t ask any questions. Woobeom’s dark eyes were filled with killing intent.

The man stopped struggling, drooling as his eyes rolled back, he had passed out. Woobeom kicked the fallen gun far away to avoid any problems.

Seeing Woobeom subdue an infected with one arm barely usable, Saejin nodded strongly. In this state, he trusted he could carry out whatever Woobeom asked.

…So the reason he brought him to the property wasn’t strategy.
It was just because it’d be easier to bury him here…