The Cook of a Perished World - Chapter 30

Episode 30 Official Affairs (2)

“This time, we will form a squad and act.”

When heading to the official residence, I decided not to take all the unit members with me.

It was judged that it would be difficult for more than 100 people to move together.

“Each leader capable of sending guild messages leads 10 unit members on the move.”

“I think we should focus on high-level soldiers as much as possible.”

“Three squads will do.”

“Three squads?”

The leaders look puzzled at my words.

“Corporal Seo Soo-hyuk.”

“yes. Corporal Seo Soo-hyuk.”

“You are guarding this place with the gunners.”

“…hmm.”

After hearing the order, Corporal Seo Soo-hyuk looked slightly worried and then opened his mouth.

“Is it because of the noise?”

“It’s unfortunate, but yes.”

At present, our unit’s best firepower is the gunners’ bullets.

The gunners’ bullets were stronger than those of the wizards.

However, it was highly likely that it would not be of much help in this battle.

‘First of all, I’m almost out of bullets.’

They are in a situation where they have to save their bullets.

The circumstances are not good to include it in all battles.

Also, gunshots can actually attract enemies.

Unlike wizards, the gunners’ guns cannot control the firepower and reduce the noise.

If it’s a defense mission in an open area, it can probably do its job.

However, it is not suitable for the mission of exploring new places.

After hearing my answer, Corporal Seo Soo-hyuk rested his chin and seemed to be thinking for a moment.

“I think it’s a reasonable decision.”

He quickly nodded and answered.

“Anyway, someone will have to stand by and protect the survivors. “I would be perfect for that mission.”

“thank you for understanding.”

“There is nothing to be thankful for. I think it was just efficient. Have a nice trip.”

Fortunately, Corporal Seo Soo-hyuk did not seem to have any complaints.

I don’t feel relieved about being out of battle.

Just a neat attitude with no complaints because it’s reasonable.

‘It means that as long as I give reasonable orders, they will follow them. It’s comfortable.’

Anyway, the decision was made that way.

Me, Sergeant Lee Min-jae, and Corporal Jeon Gwang-il.

In this way, the three formed their own squad.

“I guess it’s right for me to join here.”

Another leader.

In the case of Lee Sang-ah, she decided to participate in my group this time.

Although he was appointed as leader.

The period of joining the unit was short, so relationships with unit members were not formed that way.

It is not suitable for command.

‘instead. ‘He is one of the few people in our unit who survived the destroyed city.’

Her strength is not command, but her ability to survive on the ground.

Maybe she’s better than anyone else in our unit.

‘Can we rot that survival knowledge and know-how?’

In addition to leader Lee Sang-ah, who is included in my group.

The groups of Sergeant Lee Min-jae and Corporal Jeon Gwang-il also included one survivor.

“Is it okay to trust criminals?…”

“Now that I’ve made a reformative decision, trust me just once. “Don’t get into trouble either.”

“Hehe, just leave it to me.”

“I’ll do anything as long as you make me a snack after work.”

These are former criminals who have now become the ‘permanent youngest members’.

Thanks to taking the same measures as Lieutenant Kim, their loyalty to me is at its maximum.

Just like Lee Sang-ah, he probably knows information on the ground well.

I could help you with that survival knowledge.

* * *

“then. “Let’s go first.”

“Let’s meet near the official residence!”

After forming each squad and checking the necessary supplies.

Sergeant Lee Min-jae and Corporal Jeon Gwang-il’s squad departed first.

If about 30 people move together, it would be too noticeable.

We plan to take different routes and meet in front of the official residence.

“Let’s leave quickly.”

After the other two squads disappeared from sight.

Our squad also started moving.

An old side road where people rarely come and go.

Soldiers carrying military uniforms began a quiet march, hiding their presence.

They say the official residence is relatively close.

This is a story about traveling by car.

Traveling on foot is bound to take quite some time.

‘What have you been doing just walking?’

I spoke in a low voice to Lee Sang-ah, who was walking behind me.

“Chief Lee Sang-ah.”

“yes?”

“From what I heard last time, I thought the survivors were mainly active in the city.”

The first question that came to mind after hearing the cityscape from the soldier’s mouth earlier.

“how. “Why did you work there?”

Survivors mainly operated near the city.

How in a city like that?

why?

“To put it bluntly, there was no choice.”

Sang-ah shrugs and says.

The reason was surprisingly simple.

“I was looking for a place where I could get food. Fortunately, there was a lot of food in places where people were active.”

“hmm.”

“It’s the same with monsters and zombies. “Hunger is also quite scary.”

Food is basically gathered where there is demand.

To obtain food in a society where civilization has collapsed.

They had to struggle for survival in that devilish city.

“I can’t tell you how fortunate I am that I never went hungry after joining the unit. Before that, you had to risk your life every day to get food. “In fact, there were an overwhelming number of days when I went hungry.”

“How did you get around and find food in a city like that?”

“The corps commanders said that those crowded buildings are a penalty for blocking visibility and limiting firepower, but that is not the case for us.”

She turned her head and glanced around.

“A city with many buildings where you can hide is better than an open space like this.”

“Why?”

“You can work while hiding. Even if you are discovered by a monster you cannot deal with, you can use buildings as obstacles to create an escape variable. “In an open field, you’ll just die because you can’t shake off the monster’s pursuit.”

indeed.

Does this mean that the environment that acts as a penalty for us is actually an advantage for the survivors?

That’s right.

“Is there a high probability that there are still people left in the city?”

“Maybe? There were quite a few encounters with other survivors back then too. “I think there are still many people hiding somewhere.”

After hearing that story, my worries deepen.

The reason we decided to come down to the ground was to secure supplies and increase our power on the ground.

Just as Lee Sang-ah’s group joined our unit, one day we will have to grow our unit through survivors.

However, if you blindly add survivors, people like those criminals may come in.

Above all, entering that city in search of survivors is itself a difficult task.

‘My head hurts.’

When I was so worried.

Pop!

Someone grabbed my arm.

“Wait.”

Lee Sang-ah was walking behind me.

She said with a serious expression.

“What’s going on?”

“Shh, be quiet.”

She puts her finger to her mouth and speaks in a low voice.

I quietly looked around, keeping my voice quiet.

‘…I can’t see anything?’

The surrounding unit members are also looking around, but they don’t seem to see anything.

I looked at her with curiosity.

She said in a low voice.

“Can you hear me?”

“I can’t see anything, so what?”

“It’s not about seeing. You have to listen. Try to concentrate. “Because you will hear something.”

Should I listen?

As she said, I held my breath and focused on the sounds coming to my ears.

OK.

There was a small sound.

Loud… Louder….

‘Is this the sound of heavy breathing?’

It was not a sound made by soldiers.

Let’s look at Lee Sang-ah.

She moved her lips silently.

The message she conveyed was simple.

‘zombie.’

She made a gesture as if telling us to stay still and then started moving somewhere.

In his hand was a large pair of sewing scissors that I didn’t know when he had taken them out.

It’s loud….

A small sound heard in the surrounding area where there is nothing.

Lee Sang-ah follows the sound.

What she arrived at was a small sewer.

An ordinary sewer, usually next to a road.

But inside the hidden sewer.

There was something.

That moment.

Wow!

The beast’s cries echo.

Suddenly.

At the same time, Lee Sang-ah’s sewing scissors moved.

The scream that was supposed to resonate as she used the scissors ended up being nothing more than a dying sound.

“That’s Okay.”

Lee Sang-ah speaks while wiping away cold sweat.

The sight of him taking out a rag and wiping the blood from the scissors, as if he had completed a familiar task, seemed very natural.

“What happened?”

It may be familiar to her, but not to us.

What on earth just happened?

“hmm. “You said you don’t know much about zombies, so I guess I should explain clearly before moving on.”

Lee Sang-ah calmly began to explain.

“Most zombies are weaker than monsters. If you play it well, is it at the level of an adult male? “I was awakened after catching a zombie.”

As she continued her explanation, she placed her hand on the sewer block she had inserted the scissors into.

“But survivors can never ignore zombies.”

Squeak.

A sewer block being lifted with an unpleasant sound.

In it.

There was a corpse with its flesh swollen in the flowing water.

“Because of this.”

“What the hell is this…”

“There are many zombies that still have human lifestyle habits, but there are also many that behave in such an unknown way.”

A zombie crawling into a sewer on the outskirts of the road.

It’s definitely hard to predict.

“Even compared to monsters, there are some parts that are of worse quality.”

“What happens if we pass by without noticing?”

“Zombies are basically hostile to humans. “If you were lucky enough to have turned around far away, you wouldn’t have noticed and would have been attacked the moment you set foot on it.”

Cold sweat runs down my back.

This thing is a zombie.

‘It’s like a booby trap, right?’

Even if the unit members awaken and become stronger, it would be difficult to see through the attack coming from underneath their feet.

“That’s not the only danger these guys have. “The moment you get bitten by zombies even once, your body slowly rots away, centered around the bitten area.”

“….”

“In the end, such people die with their entire bodies rotting away and become another zombie.”

“If I get bitten, do I have no choice but to die?”

“Not necessarily. The bitten area needs to be amputated. And in this world, losing a body part is no different from death.”

Her expression darkens when she says the last words.

Were there any colleagues who had their bodies mutilated like that?

“Then is there no way to deal with it? The only way to find out is if you are completely hidden like this guy…”

“You just heard that, right? “These guys are breathing.”

ah.

“Zombies basically breathe heavily. “If you focus with the hearing of the awakened people, you can easily see through it in a quiet environment.”

“indeed.”

The only way is by hearing.

It’s absurd, but there must be a way.

It’s better than being surprised without knowing anything.

“be careful. It’s better to be killed by a monster. “People who are bitten by zombies never die well.”

I once again realize how lucky I was that no zombies appeared on the mountain.

The Lizards that attacked the unit were powerful enough enemies.

Plus, it’s crazy to think that the dead unit members turned into zombies like that.

Zombies are tricky, so you can’t just sit there and worry.

We need to come up with some kind of countermeasure.

‘hmm.’

I slowly put my hand behind my back and touched the military bag I was carrying.

Heavy and heavy.

Slightly cool texture.

‘This might be the solution.’

After the encounter with the zombies was over.

We started moving towards the official residence again.

However, I encountered a similarly hidden zombie along the way.

This time, the unit members were also concentrating on the sound.

Kaa….

Suddenly.

evil.

“But I can hear it because I’m concentrating.”

“Good job.”

I was able to handle it somehow.

That’s how we do it.

“I can see the official residence over there!”

We arrived at our unit’s official residence.

* * *

“Is Youngjun here?”

“What am I in last place?”

“We have just arrived too.”

Three squads traveled through different routes.

We joined in the vacant lot in front of the official residence.

“What does it look like inside?”

“It’s still quiet.”

After hearing Minjae’s answer, I looked at the official residence buildings in front of me.

The official residence is basically a living space for executives.

Of the approximately 100 officers in our unit, more than half, or about 60, live in the official residence.

In particular, our unit is a unit in a remote area.

Since it is difficult to leave and enter the unit, soldiers before and after vacation wait at the official residence for convenience.

If you even think about those soldiers.

Even considering that they were not at the official residence because it was the weekend, quite a few people must have been staying at the official residence.

But now it’s so quiet that you might think it’s excessive.

I’m glad everyone evacuated safely.

‘I guess that’s unlikely.’

I’ve already made up my mind.

I looked at Minjae and Gwangil and asked.

“You heard about zombies, right?”

“yes. “I even hunted a few on the way.”

“I also roughly heard it from my youngest. “You said you had to focus on the sound, right?”

“good.”

It seems like other unit members also know how to deal with zombies.

There is no need to wait too long.

I gave an order to my troops.

“Let’s go in.”

“…yes!”

The soldiers were somewhat nervous before the battle.

Lead them and approach the outermost official building.

“Open. “Don’t forget to detect the enemy’s location by sound.”

“yes!”

Squeak….

The moment I opened the door to the official residence and entered inside.

Whoa…

A familiar sound of heavy breathing could be heard from nearby.

Up to this point, it was as expected.

the problem is.

Cough….

Kahak….

Kkkak….

“…ha, the soundproofing is really bad.”

There are more than just one or two sounds being heard.

The official residence building where unit members stay.

The inside was filled with dozens of heavy breathing sounds.