TANBMD Chapter 80

Chapter 80

 

Bang! Bang—!

Gunshots kept ringing out from inside. The people startled and scattered like chicks seeing a hawk.

“What’s going on in there right now?”

“Where’s Soojin-nim?”

Amid their shouts, Shin Hae-jun focused on the name ‘Soojin.’ Soojin, Soojin… Well, not an uncommon name, but somehow, hearing ‘that’ woman’s name in this situation was not a welcome thing. It felt oddly uncomfortable and irritating.

Lost in thought for a moment, Shin Hae-jun quickly decided that now was not the time for contemplation and squeezed his way through the crowd.

The moment they saw Shin Hae-jun, the people scowled and muttered curses, but did not actually accost him. Not only was the size difference significant, but everyone knew Shin Hae-jun’s nickname, didn’t they?

Despite putting on a friendly facade now, if they were to turn their backs, who knew what might happen? Fear of the consequences kept people disdainfully glancing at Shin Hae-jun but hesitating to confront him directly.

“Soojin-nim! Soojin-nim!”

Those closest to the library entrance were rushing inside, calling out Soojin’s name. Shin Hae-jun tried to follow them but soon stopped. Pung, tooong, tooong—the off-beat sounds were coming from within. Shin Hae-jun knew exactly what those noises meant.

“Everyone, step back!”

Shin Hae-jun shouted as he readied his assault rifle, but the people paid him no heed.

“What’s he saying? Why should we step back?”

“I don’t know, seems he wants to play soldier here too.”

“Ah, so annoying. He should just leave already.”

The sarcastic remarks continued, and Shin Hae-jun could feel his patience wearing thin. But he couldn’t explode here. If he was going to explode, it should have happened earlier. He had endured so far, but he couldn’t do it anymore. So,

“I’m telling you to run! Can’t you hear that sound? Run away!”

Thud, thwoong, thwooong—the sounds of explosions grew louder and louder. Shin Hae-jun tried to pull the arms of some people nearby to evacuate them, but it was futile.

“Hey, let go! Where the fuck you dragging us?”

And at that very moment.

Kwaaang!

An immense shockwave enveloped the entire building, shaking the ground violently.

“Kyaaah!”

“Aaack! What was that!”

People were startled and bewildered, and gradually, a sense of terror began to creep into their faces. Shin Hae-jun thought they would listen sooner or later. He then quickly realized his duty as a soldier, which was to protect the civilians, and focused on evacuating them promptly.

“Come this way!”

Though hesitant at first upon hearing Shin Hae-jun’s shout, some people moved briskly, remembering the gun he held and his reputation. As some followed his instructions, others began evacuating in an orderly manner too.

“Please move back as much as possible! Run to a higher place once you’re out of the shelter!”

While issuing instructions to the people, Shin Hae-jun’s mind was preoccupied with something else.

‘Min Ahyeon.’

What happened to Ahyeon?

Since Oh Habin went in, she should be okay, right? Or did something happen to both Habin and Ahyeon? No, no. If only one of them was in there, he could worry. But those ‘two’ together—nothing should be able to happen to them. It couldn’t happen.

So, his current task was evacuating the people.

‘Min Ahyeon.’

Her face kept surfacing in his mind. Her slightly narrowed eyes, the curve of her nose, her smiling lips forming that captivating line—they replayed incessantly. Along with that, there was an ominous feeling that he might never see her like that again. The thought of not being able to see Ahyeon again was absurd. Ridiculous. That couldn’t happen.

It was then.

“General!”

A very familiar and longed-for voice pierced Shin Hae-jun’s ear. It was a space polluted with people’s screams and the cries of the infected, but Shin Hae-jun could immediately locate the source of the sound. He turned his gaze to the second floor of the building. Through the window, he could see Ahyeon peering out.

“I’ll handle the infected over here!”

“I’ll cover Lieutenant!”

Shin Hae-jun gave them a sign of acknowledgment and then lowered his gaze again. The face that had been stiff with tension and anxiety just a moment ago was now melting away as if nothing had happened.

‘She’s alive.’

Of course, he thought she would be alive, but… how should I put it? Seeing it with his own eyes made him feel more relieved. His mind was at peace.

‘I’m such a fool.’

After scolding himself, he focused on the people again. Many had fled, but unfortunately, many remained. Including the woman and the man who had picked a fight with Shin Hae-jun and Habin earlier.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you hear me telling you to run away quickly?”

Shin Hae-jun shouted, barely holding back his rising anger, but they just shook their heads without moving.

“I don’t understand why you’re telling us to run away.”

“Can’t you hear the noise right now?”

“Ah, the booming, rumbling sound?”

After listening for a moment, the man chuckled and retorted.

“It’s the sound of the prophets coming. There’s no need to be afraid.”

“Prophets?”

“Yes. Those who have evolved ahead of us.”

Shin Hae-jun could finally recall the cult, the Savior, and how these idiots had turned into worshipers of infected creatures, praising them as some sort of messiahs and exalting them as great beings. They claimed that the infected attacking was actually a form of salvation for their victims.

So, here they were, facing a horde of infected creatures, and yet these people were acting like they were safe.

“Hah, haha.”

Shin Hae-jun chuckled bitterly as he looked up at the hazy sky. The biting winter wind that had crept up was sharply brushing against his cheeks.

“I… fuck.”

Shin Hae-jun muttered, gripping his rifle tightly.

Should I kill them?

Should I just kill them here and burn their bodies? There aren’t many people watching anyway, and if I deal with the witnesses too…. No, no. There’s no need to take that risk. Shin Hae-jun shook his head.

“Alright. I won’t bother with the idiots.”

“What did you say?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Kwooong!

Then, the door blocking the library entrance shook. The shaking didn’t last long. The flimsy wooden door split open with a cracking sound, and soon after, the infected began mercilessly spilling out from inside.

————!

Shin Hae-jun, who had casually disregarded the screaming infected creatures, grabbed onto a ledge and pulled himself up, perching himself on the window sill. Being somewhat high up meant safety, as long as their arms couldn’t reach or they couldn’t climb up the building. So, he planned to sit there quietly and watch their demise.

“Kyaaak!”

Following Shin Hae-jun’s words, people who were evacuating but couldn’t fully escape in time ran across the street screaming, and the infected chased after them, flailing their twisted arms and legs.

“What a sight.”

Shin Hae-jun lit up a cigarette with a chuckle. Yeah, he should have done this from the start. He felt so much more at ease doing it this way. Huh? As Shin Hae-jun snickered, he inhaled the cigarette smoke, but then.

“Cough!”

He unintentionally coughed and exhaled the smoke.

Of course.

“What the hell is that…?”

The infected were just passing by those two people!

Thoroughly bewildered for the first time in a while, Shin Hae-jun stared blankly at them, and just in case, he banged on the building’s wall, hoping to draw the infected over with the noise. The infected briefly turned around at the sound Shin Hae-jun made, but that was it. They continued past the man and woman, more preoccupied with chasing after other people.

“…Do they have some kind of antibody like Min Ahyeon?”

No, antibodies manifest after getting bitten, right? It was almost like the infected were avoiding those two. Shin Hae-jun’s eyes wavered. He wasn’t magnanimous enough to readily accept such an unbelievable fact.

Then,

Bang!

A crisp gunshot rang out.

And the head of an infected trying to climb up the wall of the building Shin Hae-jun was on exploded. Shin Hae-jun naturally threw his gaze towards a certain point. It was Ahyeon’s gun barrel.

“Get it together, General.”

Shin Hae-jun stared intently at Ahyeon before letting out a hollow laugh and gripping his rifle tightly.

That’s right.

He needs to get it together.

Ahyeon is right there.

Shin Hae-jun immediately leaped down from the building.

🕂

Thank you for reading! ♡